The Secret Passage of the Roman Emperor in the Colosseum Built 2000 Years Ago Is Open to the Public

JAKARTA - Want to feel the thrill of walking in a historic secret passage built thousands of years ago for the Roman Emperor? You can come to the Passage of Commodus in the Colosseum, Rome, Italy.

Visitors to the Italian capital can now visit and walk down the hidden passageway in the Colosseum that was used by Roman emperors to travel safely and discreetly to the pulvinar, their special honor box that sits just above the arena.

The passage, built between 90 AD and 98 AD, allowed the emperors to reach their seats without having to use the main entrance, the vomitoria, where the masses would rush into the Colosseum.

This corridor used to feature lavish decoration, marble panels and plaster ornaments depicting scenes from mythology, hunting or gladiator battles.

Visitors can now "feel what it was like to be an emperor entering the arena," as the decorations have been carefully restored, according to the architect overseeing the restoration work, Barbara Nazzaro, quoted by Euronews (2/1).

This hidden corridor was first discovered between 1810 and 1814 by French excavators under the architect Carlo Lucangeli, then reopened in 1874 and studied again in the 1990s, CNN reported.

During the restoration of the entire site in 2020-2021, archaeologists mapped the tunnel completely and began a new phase of conservation.

The latest restoration removed centuries of dust and dirt, reapplied fragile plaster using laser tools, and revealed a marble-lined wall carved with views and mythological scenes - including the story of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry.

Near the entrance, carvings of boar hunts, bear fights, and acrobatics recall the spectacle that once filled the arena.

"Once this passage is open to the public, visitors will be able to understand what it was like to be an emperor," said archaeologist Barbara Nazzaro, who led the work.

Opened to the public in October last year, the Passage of Commodus is named after the Roman Emperor Commodus who ruled between 180 AD and 192 AD. However, because the tunnel was built about a century before the emperor, its association with Commodus is not due to its construction.

According to the notes of the Roman historian Herodian, the failed assassination attempt against Commodus took place in 182 AD, in a secret tunnel under the Colosseum.

"It's easy to connect the dots," Nazzaro said of the link.

The figure of Emperor Commodus certainly entered the imagination of modern society thanks to Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of the emperor as a cruel and impulsive villain in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" film.

The assassination attempt on Commodus was allegedly arranged by his sister, Lucille, and with the support of the Senate. According to historical records, both

The killer himself, a man named Quadratus, is rumored to be Lucille's lover who he persuaded to kill the emperor.

However, Quadratus was disarmed and killed before he could attack the emperor, and the events of Commodus' Death may have set the stage for the events that pushed Commodus over the edge of sanity, leaving him in a state of permanent paranoia.

In retaliation for the attempted assassination of himself, Commodus exiled Lucille from Rome before killing her six months later, and he also carried out one of the most ruthless purges of the Roman Senate in imperial history.

Commodus' anxiety was so great, that according to Herodian, he spent years trying to hunt down Condianus, the son of one of the senators he had executed. Commodus was so afraid Condianus was plotting revenge against him.

This resulted in the murder of hundreds of people who only resembled Condianus, with their severed heads collected and displayed in the streets of Rome. Although the hunt lasted for months and even years, it is uncertain whether Condianus was ever killed.

Commodus' reign ended 10 years after the first assassination attempt, when he was strangled in his bath.

Italian museum director Massimo Osanna called the reopening a "milestone" that combines research and preservation.

New features such as tactile maps and video reconstructions aim to make the site "truly accessible and inclusive for all."