Frescoes Discovered in Rome Colosseum

Italian restorers cleaning the Colosseum have discovered remains of frescoes indicating the interior of one of the world's most famous monuments may have been colorfully painted in Roman times. The 2,000-year old arena, originally looked far different from the stone ring that has become one of the symbols of Rome.

The frescoes were found in a passage that had been closed for decades. The passage lead to the highest level of eating, a wooden gallery reserved for the lowest classes and furthest from the action in the arena. The restorers scraped off years of linescale and black pollution from car exhaust and found the remains of the frescoes, with their vivid red, blue, green and white colors still visible. The same team also discovered ancient sketches by spectators who painted crowns and palm trees. The Latin word "VIND", referring to victory or revenge, was also found. The frescoes likely date from after 217 AD, when a fire destroyed the wooden gallery that topped the Colosseum. The frescoes were discovered during the monument's first comprehensive restoration project in 73 years, a 25 million Euro project to clean the entire building by 2015. After the restoration is complete, 25 percent more of the Colosseum will be open to visitors, particularly the underground network of tunnels, storerooms and cages.

Restorers have cleaned only a small part of the monument so far, and hope to reveal the detail of what the frescoes depict underneath marks left by centuries of visitors. Written in a modern script, the name "Luigi" was scratched into a well-preserved red section of fresco. Nearby was scrawled the date "1620", and "J. Milber from Strasbourg, 1902".

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Scariest Places in the World

During Halloween season, many are looking to get their scare on. If scary haunted places are your thing, you might want to check out these, most haunted places in the world:

Catacombs in Paris, France. Long ago, as the city of Paris grew, it became necessary to provide more space for the living. To do so, city engineers and planners decided to move the dead. Millions of dead Parisians were quietly disinterred in one of the largest engineering feats in history and their remains were deposited along the walls of the chilly, dank passageways lying beneath the City of Light. They lie there to this day. A million visitors a year are said to visit the infamous Paris Catacombs.

New Orleans, Louisiana is considered by locals, visitors and paranormal investigators world wide as by far the most haunted city in the United States. With 200 years of ghostly legends involving Voodoo curses, Spanish moss draped oak encircled duels, cold-blooded murders, stories of Revolutionary War Pirates and Civil War soldiers, and Jazz, New Orleans has earned a serious reputation as Haunted New Orleans.

Aokigahara Forest, Japan. Also known as the Sea of Trees, Aokigahara is a forest that lies at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. It has been claimed by locals and visitors that these woods are host to a great amount of paranormal phenomena. It is an old ancient forest reportedly haunted by many urban historical legends of strange beasts, monsters, ghosts, and goblins, which add to its serious and sinister reputation.

The Underground Vaults in Edinburgh, Scotland were discovered in the mid-80’s, after being abandoned for nearly 200 years. Lying beneath the South Bridge, a major Edinburgh passage, the vaults were used as cellars, workshops and even as residences by the business owners that plied their trade on the busy bridge above. They were abandoned soon after they were built due to excessive water and moisture. The vaults still remain unaltered, never illuminated by the light of day. In recent years, many visitors have been attacked by the unseen and left with bruises, cuts, and scratches. Others have been knocked unconscious and overcome by debilitating nausea and vomiting. Recently visited by the crew from England’s “Most Haunted,” the vaults maintained their reputation as the spookiest place in Edinburgh – no member of the team would voluntarily return there.

The Coliseum, Rome, Italy. In the pits beneath the Coliseum, gladiators waited to fight, prisoners waited to die, and average Romans placed bets on the outcomes of myriad competitions. Such a fabric of life can’t help but wrap itself around the pillars and posts that make up the foundation of this ancient charnel house. It is no surprise that many reports of ghostly activity have been associated with the Coliseum over the years. Visitors and tour guides alike have reported cold spots, being touched or pushed, and hearing indiscernible words whispered into their ears. Security guards with the unenviable task of securing the ancient Coliseum have reported hearing the sounds of swords clashing, and, oddly enough, the sound of ghostly animal noises such as the roars of lions and elephants.

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Rome's Colosseum Disintegrating

Last Sunday slabs of ancient plaster crashed through a 30-year-old wire protection net and hit the ground around dawn.

The plaster, which dates from Roman times, fell from a square-meter section of roof in one of the stone entrances through which crowds filed to watch gladiators fight each other, animals and prisoners back in ancient times. Archaeologists said that a disaster had been narrowly averted, and if this would have had happened later in the day, visitors could have been badly hurt or even killed.

Authorities said the loosening of the plaster may have been caused by recent heavy rains, humidity and temperature changes. It is estimated that it will cost some $33 million to restore the Colosseum. A restoration and cleaning project is due to start in the next few weeks but Rome city council is still trying to raise funds from the private sector in Italy and abroad to finance the work.

Archaeologists said the near miss should be a wake-up call for the perilous state of the arena, which was begun in 72AD and has since suffered from earthquakes and centuries of pillaging.

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