Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Five tunnels led into the Colosseum. Four were utilitarian passageways, used to convey gladiators, animals, and equipment in and out of the amphitheater's bustling underworld. But the purpose of the fifth tunnel - elaborately decorated, and built later than the rest - is mysterious. Many scholars believe that it was the emperor's secret entrance. This, however, is just one theory...

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Special thanks to Through Eternity Tours for help with photographs, and to Professor Nathan Elkins for providing additional details about his view of the tunnel's purpose.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:23 The mysterious tunnel
2:09 Tunnels of the Colosseum
3:20 The fifth tunnel
4:48 The "Cryptoporticus of Commodus"
5:25 An alternative theory
6:52 Conclusion

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