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The cry of the crowd. The roar of a lion. 
The clash of metal.

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Starting in 80 CE these sounds rang 
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 
visitors from across the Roman Empire

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

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and chariots race around the arena.

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And for the grand finale, 
water poured into the arena basin,

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submerging the stage for the 
greatest spectacle of all:

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staged naval battles.

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The Romans’ epic, mock maritime 
encounters, called naumachiae,

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

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over a hundred years before the 
Colosseum was built.

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They were held alongside other 
aquatic spectacles

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on natural and artificial bodies 
of water around Rome

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up through Emperor Flavius Vespasian,

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

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The Colosseum was intended to be a symbol 
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 
and refill at the Emperor’s command?

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

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when he used war spoils to 
finish the Colosseum–

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

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

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setting the precedent for programming 
that included parades,

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musical performances, public executions, 
and of course, gladiatorial combat.

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Unlike the games in smaller amphitheaters 
funded by wealthy Romans,

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

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Parades of exotic animals, theatrical 
performances,

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and the awe-inspiring naumachiae 
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 
after his own death.

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

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

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Others think the system of chambers 
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 
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 
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 
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 
meters long,

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and were built to look like vessels 
from famous encounters.

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

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

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These warriors would duel across ships;

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boarding them, fighting, drowning, 
and incapacitating their foes

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until only one faction was left standing.

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

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In some of these floodings,

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a submerged stage allowed chariot 
drivers to glide across the water

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

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

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

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

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The naval battles proved so popular they 
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 
better for naumachiae,

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and the Colosseum soon gained a series 
of underground animal cages

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

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But for a brief time,

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the Flavian Emperors controlled the 
tides of war and water

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in a spectacular show of power.