An ongoing restoration project on the Colosseum in Rome has revealed a seating plan similar to those found in modern arenas. 
 
 Restorers discovered Latin letters and numbers painted in red on the Colosseum’s entrance gate arches, which they think were used to allow spectators easier access to their seats. It seems that the numbers were initially carved into the travertine stones, before being filled in with red paint. 
 
 Seating would have been allocated according to a spectator’s social class. While modern stadiums tend to divide seating up according to the type and cost of the ticket purchased by the spectator, entrance to the Colosseum was free. A strict system was implemented to divide up seating in the four tiers, based on an individuals wealth and social standing. 
 
 The paint’s red colour was derived from the materials used in its composition – iron oxide and clay minerals. The paint could be applied without any binding substances, but it would have needed to be re-coated every two or three years, making the discovery of the letters nearly two thousand years later all the more remarkable. 
 
 In the top tier was the emperor’s box, which provided the best view of the arena. Other members of the Roman political and social elite also sat in the highest tier. On the second tier sat the Roman upper class, made up of government officials and business men. The third tier housed the ordinary Roman citizens, while in the fourth women and the poor sat or stood on wooden benches. 
 
 Director of the Colosseum, Rossella Rea, told Discovery News how the red painted numbers would have been used; “The 50,000 spectators had a ticket that said which numbered gate arch they were supposed to enter. Inside the arena, there were other numbers to help people access their seats, which were assigned according to social class”. 
 
 The Colosseum had a total of eighty entrances, seventy six of which were set aside for the general public. Of the remaining four, two were used exclusively by members of the highest social classes, namely, the emperor, magistrates, senators and wealthy patricians. The Vestal Virgins – a college of priestesses dedicated to the goddess of hearth Vesta and considered essential to the continuation of Rome’s security – were also allowed to use this entrance, revealing just how highly valued they were in Roman society. 
 
 Another of the entrances not used by the public was set aside for carrying the dead out from the arena – whether fallen gladiators or beasts – providing a grim reminder of the violence and brutality that took place in the Colosseum. The final entrance was used by gladiators parading before conflict, reflecting the considerations for pomp and ceremony that were a key part of the Colosseum’s history. 
 
 The painted numbers were discovered as part of an ongoing 25 million euro restoration of the Colosseum, funded by the Italian shoe company Tod. The restoration aims to repair damage done to the Colosseum since the Middle Ages. The restoration has involved the use of a water based process to remove layers of dirt and dust from the building without damaging the materials underneath. The Project’s director, Cinzia Conti, told Wanted in Rome that the discovery of the numbers revealed the benefits of this delicate process. 
 
 As the restoration proceeds, Rea’s team hopes to find more traces of the red painted numbers in the close to 2000 year old monument. The discovery has provided a fascinating insight into how Roman authorities managed the 50,000 capacity arena, and the importance of hierarchy in Roman society. ||||| Ongoing restoration work at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy has uncovered traces of red painted numerals in the arches of the amphitheatre, which points to a seating system that could be similar to those used at event venues today. 
 
 The Colosseum was built by Emperor Vespasian in 70CE. It was the biggest amphitheatre constructed during the Flavian dynasty and as such is often known as the "Flavian Amphitheatre". It is the largest amphitheatre in the world and one of the greatest examples of Roman architecture. 
 
 The restoration process of the Colosseum involves shooting high-powered jets of water at its walls in order to gently remove dirt and black smog residue, while preserving the ancient stone. 
 
 The arches of the Colosseum are so tall that it takes four levels of scaffolding in order for a man to be at eye level with the numbers, and tiny traces of the red paint were detected by workmen while they were cleaning the arches on the outer ring of the monument. 
 
 "This is an exceptional discovery because we did not expect that some trace of the red paint was still preserved," said Rossella Rea, the director of the Colosseum. 
 
 The Roman numerals measure 34cm tall and 2cm wide, and the engraved numbers say "XXXVIIII – XLII", which means "39-42". The red numbers would have been visible to crowds coming to the building from a great distance away. 
 
 "Only four arches were marked with numbers, since the Emperors and authorities enjoyed the privilege of entering the arches placed on the inner ring of the amphitheatre. Those placed on the outer ring were reserved for normal people," explained Rea. 
 
 "But the more than 50,000 people that attended each show was able to identify their seat with precision. Each of the spectators would have had to queue up under the arch showing the same number as the number on their ticket." 
 
 Cinzia Conti, the archaeologist in charge of the restoration project, says that the red colour of the ancient paint came from iron oxide, which is derived from clay. 
 
 The properties of the paint meant that it could easily be applied to the walls and did not need any additional adhesive to stick to the walls. 
 
 "The colour would last for two to three years before needing to be reapplied to the arches at the entrance of the Colosseum. On other inscriptions, we have seen that the paint had been reapplied, as we found the presence of several different coloured layers overlapping," she said. 
 
 Excavations of the Colosseum in the early 20th century indicated that in ancient Rome, there were likely to have been numbers and directions written on the walls inside the amphitheatre, and the archaeologists hope that as they continue to clean the stone walls, they will discover more traces of paint. ||||| Traces of red painted numbers have been found on the arches of Rome’s Colosseum during the ongoing $33 million restoration work aimed at repairing damage suffered by the 2,000-year-old monument since the Middle Ages. 
 
 Similar to today’s stadium seating systems, the numbers — written according to the system used in ancient Rome, using letters of the Latin alphabet such as X, L, V, I — stood on the entrance gate arches, allowing an easier access to the seats. 
 
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 First carved in the travertine stones, the numbers were then painted in red, so that people could easily see them from a distance. 
 
 There were 76 public numbered entrances, plus four special un-numbered gates. Two were reserved to the emperor, senators, magistrates, wealthy patricians, and the Vestal Virgins, priestesses responsible for maintaining the sacred fire within the Temple of Vesta. A gate was used for the dead — gladiators and wild beasts — while another was used by gladiators parading prior to the beginning of the combats. 
 
 The numbered entrance gates were the first step of a complex crowd control system which allowed tens of thousands of spectators to smoothly enter the amphitheater and quickly find their seat. 
 
 “The 50,000 spectators had a ticket that said which numbered gate arch they were supposed to enter. Inside the arena, there were other numbers to help people access their seats, which were assigned according to social class,” the monument director Rossella Rea said. 
 
 Although entrance was free for all, a strict plan regulated where one could seat on the amphitheater’s four levels of seating. 
 
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 The best seat belonged to the emperor who sat in the first tier in the Emperor’s Box; the first level was also reserved to senator, magistrates and Vestal Virgins. On the second tier sat the upper class, on the third the ordinary Roman citizens, while women and the poor stood or sat on wooden benches in the fourth, top tier. 
 
 The traces of red painted numbers represent an “exceptional finding,” according to Rea. 
 
 “It was believed the paint would not have survived at all,” Rea said. 
 
 Deriving from iron oxide and clay minerals, the red color could be used without any binding material. 
 
 “As the color could withstand two-three years, it had to be periodically applied on the carved numbers,” restorer Cinzia Conti, said. 
 
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 Commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 72, the Colosseum was opened by his son Titus in A.D. 80 with 100 days of gladiatorial bouts, beast battles and public executions. 
 
 It was the largest building in Rome, covering a little over half an acre and standing 164 feet high against the Roman skyline. 
 
 It continued to provide the ancient Romans “panem et circenses” — bread and circuses — until shows were banned in the fifth century, about 40 years before the fall of the Roman Empire. 
 
 Rea’s team expects to find other traces of colored numbers inside the monument as the restoration proceeds. 
 
 Image: Traces of red color in the Roman number X (10). Credit: Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma.
– Spectators who once flocked to Rome's Colosseum could find their seats with the help of red numbers painted over entrance archways. What's amazing is that hints of that paint still remain, Discovery reports. A team restoring the Colosseum has spotted remnants of it in Latin numerals carved high up on an entrance gate. "This is an exceptional discovery because we did not expect that some trace of the red paint was still preserved," Colosseum Director Rossella Rea tells the International Business Times. The red color, derived from clay minerals and iron oxide, had to be repainted every two or three years—which makes the find that much more unexpected. It also casts a light on how Romans found their seats when going to watch gladiators, wild beasts, and public executions. "The 50,000 spectators had a ticket that said which numbered gate arch they were supposed to enter," says Rea. "Inside the arena, there were other numbers to help people access their seats, which were assigned according to social class." Admittance was free, but of course the emperor had the best seat in his private box, New Historian reports. Rome's social and political elite also sat high up, followed by upper-class businessmen and government officials, ordinary Roman men, and finally women and the poor, who had to sit or stand on wood benches. Built in 70AD, the Colosseum is undergoing a $33 million restoration to clean off dirt that's accumulated since the Middle Ages. (After its glory days, researchers say, the Colosseum became a "condo.")