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'Mini Coliseum' Unearthed Near Rome

Find at Roman Empire port hailed as world wonder

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 16, 2009 3:41 AM CDT

(Newser) – Archaelogists excavating the ancient port that served Rome in the days of the Roman Empire have found the remains of a smaller-scale version of the Coliseum next to an imperial palace. Statues and many other archeological treasures have been found at Portus, which lies a mile from Rome's airport. The find was made possible with sensors and other high-tech archeological tools, CNN reports.

"This is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world,” said an expert working on the dig. “Certainly it should be rated alongside such wonders as Stonehenge and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. So much of this imperial port has been preserved and there is much more to learn about its role in supplying Rome and in the broader economic development of the Roman Mediterranean.”

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

A computer-generated image of the 'Coliseum' found at Portus. (University of Southampton)

A computer-generated image of the Coliseum as it would have looked in Portus' heyday. (University of Southampton)

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There is only one imperial Rome, and Rome only had one imperial port and Portus is that port.
- Professor Simon Keay

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'Mini Coliseum' Unearthed Near Rome