Red-painted numbers helped Romans find their seats in the Colosseum

Archaeologists have discovered that the carved seat numbers in the Roman Colosseum had been painted red to make the seats easier to see, assuring orderly, trouble-free seating of the crowd–who then watched naval warfare, public executions, animals eating people alive and people tearing each other apart with various weapons.

The red paint was found during recent restoration of the ancient Colosseum to repair damage it has sustained since the Middle Ages, says a story in News.Discovery.com. Seat numbers were carved in the travertine stone and then painted red to make it easier for 50,000 spectators to find their seats. With so many people it was necessary for an efficient, orderly seating process.