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Colosseum Museum

Barriers and balustrades

Pietro Rosa’s 1874 and 1875 excavations of the Colosseum’s underground levels yielded a number of barriers and balustrades in white marble, originally used as parapets and handrails.

These structures had the function of preventing spectators from falling down the flights of steps that gave access to the seating section, called vomitoria, and were divided into three separate decorative types depending on their placement: those placed facing the arena were decorated with vegetal motifs and marked, on their back sides, with directions indicating seat numbers, called loca; those placed on either side of the access passages were decorated with hunting scenes; lastly, end pieces were decorated with real or fantastical animals or cornucopias.

The assigned seats and designated paths divided by barriers allowed the public to find their seating based on social status, and above all allowed for the rapid influx and outflux of large crowds of people.