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Even 2,000 years ago, famous people knew how to make a quick exit.
Ancient Rome's mighty Colosseum had a secret tunnel that allowed Roman emperors to sneak out of the arena unseen, archaeologists reveal.
Measuring about 180 feet long, the VIP underground passage, dug through the foundations of the Colosseum, was concealed from the attending masses.
Experts say it was created between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD – decades after the amphitheatre was originally built in the AD 70s.
The famous Colosseum – which was famously depicted in the Ridley Scott's Gladiator films – hosted thousands of bloody battles as a form of public spectacle.
Now, partially lit and ventilated by air vents, the passage is open to the public, letting visitors trace the same steps as Roman emperors.
Experts at the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum say the opening of the passage is of 'extraordinary significance'.
'It makes accessible and accessible for the first time ever a place so fascinating for its history, its architecture, and, not least, its decorative apparatus, which was for exclusive use and hidden from the public during the time of the emperors,' they said.
The passageway is seen at the Colosseum Archaeological Park in Rome, Italy, October 7, 2025. It has been inaugurated at the Colosseum and is now open to the public
The Colosseum was constructed during the reign of emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and completed under the rule of his successor, Titus, in AD 80
Today, the tunnel is about 180 feet (55 metres) long, although 2,000 years ago it would have been longer, before part of it was destroyed by digging to lay sewage pipes a century ago.
According to the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, the tunnel' ancient surfaces including marble-clad walls, where traces of the metal clamps that supported the slabs can still be seen, have been fully restored.
A building material favoured by the Romans called stucco has mythological scenes from the myth of the wine-god Dionysus and his immortal wife Ariadne.
At the entrance to the passage, scenes related to the arena shows still appear, such as boar hunts and bear fights accompanied by acrobatic performances.
The secret tunnel was unearthed in the 19th century, but only now after a full restoration can the public walk along it, tracing the same steps as Roman emperors.
The tunnel goes from the emperor's box, a prime spot on the south stalls of the Colosseum akin to the royal box we see at sporting events today.
It went beneath the stands and even underground before coming out on the Colosseum's south end, letting the emperor make a subtle exit.
It's also thought to have allowed him to visit gladiators in their gym just before a fight, likely at the nearby Ludus Magnus, the prestigious gladiator training school.
Passageway is seen at the Colosseum Archaeological Park in Rome, Italy, October 7, 2025. It has been inaugurated at the Colosseum and is now open to the public
Experts say opening of the passage is of 'extraordinary significance', because it makes accessible for the first time 'a place so fascinating for its history, its architecture, and, not least, its decorative apparatus'
Gladiators and the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was a huge territorial empire existed between 27 BC and AD 476, spanning across Europe and North Africa with Rome as its centre.
Violent gladiator battles were hosted around the empire, including at Rome's Colosseum, the remains of which still stand today.
These public spectacles, which drew crowds much like today's football matches, saw men fighting bloody battles to the death.
Gladiators would train in the morning and afternoon at Ludus Magnus, using narrow wooden posts as practice targets to represent their upcoming opponent.
Archaeologists have named the tunnel after one of the Roman emperors who would have used it, Emperor Commodus, one of the Empire's less effective leaders who unusually fought in the arena himself.
Dr Andrew Sillett at the University of Oxford's department of classics, said Commodus once fought an ostrich inside the Colosseum.
'Commodus lacked the standing necessary to feel comfortable as emperor – too young, not enough military achievements, not a great public speaker – so he tried to compensate ostentatious displays of masculinity,' he told the Daily Mail.
'In order to do this for a big audience, he broke the major taboo of appearing in the arena, which aristocrats were usually forbidden from doing.
'Historian Cassius Dio, who was a Senator under Commodus, reports seeing the emperor fighting an ostrich, which he managed to behead.'
Whichever Roman emperor was in power had the overall command over fights and events taking place in the Colosseum – not just as the host but a referee of sorts.
Statue of the ancient Roman emperor Commodus as Hercules in the Capitoline Museum, Italy. The ruler of the empire was more interested in his blonde curls than doing a good job of ruling the empire
Depicted here, a gladiator stabs at another with his trident in this mosaic at Nennig, Germany (c. 2nd-3rd century AD)
When a gladiator was defeated, the emperor would have given a thumbs up or thumbs down – to signify whether the losing contender would be spared or killed by the opponent.
'The person putting on the games has the decision of whether to execute a gladiator when they submit,' said Dr Sillett.
'In Rome that would be the emperor, but in the Cirencester amphitheatre, for example, it would be a local bigwig.'
The Colosseum was constructed during the reign of emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and completed under the rule of his successor, Titus, in AD 80.
Famously the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, it was used for gladiator battles and other public spectacles including animal hunts and executions.
Today, about a third of the Colosseum remains as it was substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers over the centuries.
THE INSANITY OF COMMODUS
Commodus was Roman emperor from AD 177 to AD 192.
He was born in AD 161, the son of the popular and highly respected emperor Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina the Younger.
Commodus became co-ruler with his father in AD 177, when he was only 15 years old.
During his final illness, his father, Marcus Aurelius became worried that his youthful and pleasure-seeking son might ignore public affairs and descend into debauchery once he became sole ruler.
He was right - soon after his father died in AD 180, Commodus discontinued his father¿s war against the Germanic tribes on the Empire¿s northern borders, instead coming to terms with them.
Commodus returned Rome to indulge in the pleasures of the great city, including chariot racing and bloodsports.
He is said to have insulted senators, given them positions below their dignity, given the rule of the provinces over to his favourites, and on a personal level to have engaged in scandalous behaviour.
He avoided the running of the empire on a day-to-day basis and instead delegated this to a string of favourites whom he made his chief ministers.
The emperor was concerned with pleasure and displaying his own physical prowess by fighting as a gladiator in the arena or against wild animals during lavish and expensive public games he organised.
He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow.
His brutal misrule precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of stability and prosperity within the empire.
On December 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by Narcissus, a wrestler who was tasked with the deed by a small group of conspirators.
Source: University of Nottingham
