0:00:06.998,0:00:11.978
The cry of the crowd. The roar of a lion. [br]The clash of metal.

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Starting in 80 CE these sounds rang [br]through the stands of the Colosseum.

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On hundreds of days a year,

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over 50,000 residents of Rome and [br]visitors from across the Roman Empire

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would fill the stadiums’ four stories to [br]see gladiators duel, animals fight,

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and chariots race around the arena.

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And for the grand finale, [br]water poured into the arena basin,

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submerging the stage for the [br]greatest spectacle of all:

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staged naval battles.

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The Romans’ epic, mock maritime [br]encounters, called naumachiae,

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started during Julius Caesar’s reign [br]in the first century BC,

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over a hundred years before the [br]Colosseum was built.

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They were held alongside other [br]aquatic spectacles

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on natural and artificial bodies [br]of water around Rome

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up through Emperor Flavius Vespasian,

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who began building the Colosseum in [br]70 CE on the site of a former lake.

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The Colosseum was intended to be a symbol [br]of Rome’s power in the ancient world,

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and what better way to display that power

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than a body of water that could drain [br]and refill at the Emperor’s command?

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Vespasian’s son Flavius Titus fulfilled [br]his father’s dream in 80 CE

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when he used war spoils to [br]finish the Colosseum–

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or as it was known at the time, [br]the Flavian Amphitheater.

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The grand opening was celebrated with 100 [br]days of pageantry and gladiatorial games,

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setting the precedent for programming [br]that included parades,

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musical performances, public executions, [br]and of course, gladiatorial combat.

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Unlike the games in smaller amphitheaters [br]funded by wealthy Romans,

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these lavish displays of Imperial power [br]were financed by the Emperor.

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Parades of exotic animals, theatrical [br]performances,

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and the awe-inspiring naumachiae [br]were all designed

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to bolster faith in the god-like Emperor,

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who would be declared a god [br]after his own death.

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It’s still a mystery how engineers flooded[br]the arena to create this aquatic effect.

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Some historians believe a giant [br]aqueduct was diverted into the arena.

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Others think the system of chambers [br]and sluice gates used to drain the arena,

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were also used to fill it.

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These chambers could’ve been filled [br]with water prior to the event

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and then opened to submerge the stage

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under more than a million gallons of [br]water, to create a depth of five feet.

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But even with all that water,

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the Romans had to construct miniature [br]boats with special flat bottoms

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that wouldn’t scrape the Colosseum floor.

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These boats ranged from 7 to 15 [br]meters long,

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and were built to look like vessels [br]from famous encounters.

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During a battle, dozens of these ships [br]would float around the arena,

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crewed by gladiators dressed as the [br]opposing sides of the recreated battle.

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These warriors would duel across ships;

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boarding them, fighting, drowning, [br]and incapacitating their foes

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until only one faction was left standing.

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Fortunately, not every watery display [br]told such a gruesome story.

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In some of these floodings,

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a submerged stage allowed chariot [br]drivers to glide across the water

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as though they were Triton, making waves [br]as he piloted his chariot on the sea.

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Animals walked on water, myths were [br]re-enacted by condemned prisoners,

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and at night, nude synchronized swimmers [br]would perform by torchlight.

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But the Colosseum’s aquatic [br]age didn’t last forever.

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The naval battles proved so popular they [br]were given their own nearby lake

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by Emperor Domitian in the early 90s CE.

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The larger lake proved even [br]better for naumachiae,

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and the Colosseum soon gained a series [br]of underground animal cages

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and trap doors that didn’t allow for [br]further flooding.

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But for a brief time,

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the Flavian Emperors controlled the [br]tides of war and water

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in a spectacular show of power.