{"id":680,"date":"2026-03-20T11:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T15:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/?page_id=680"},"modified":"2026-05-02T17:51:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:51:26","slug":"ludus-magnus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/?page_id=680","title":{"rendered":"Ludus\u00a0Magnus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"399\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-538.png 399w, https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-538-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Gladiators lived, ate, trained, and practiced for gladiatorial contests in the Colosseum at the&nbsp;<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ludus Magnus<\/span><\/strong>. Constructed during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, it&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the&nbsp;<strong>largest of the four gladiatorial schools&nbsp;<\/strong>in the&nbsp;City. Located east of the Colosseum, it included an underground tunnel linking it to the amphitheater. Because it enjoyed its own&nbsp;arena&nbsp;which&nbsp;held&nbsp;3,000&nbsp;spectators,&nbsp;the&nbsp;public&nbsp;could&nbsp;attend&nbsp;the&nbsp;training sessions in anticipation and preview of games in the amphitheater.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"327\" height=\"216\" src=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-539.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-539.png 327w, https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-539-300x198.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This large complex consisted of\u00a0a three\u00a0storied\u00a0<strong>gladiator barracks<\/strong>, colonnaded courtyard, arena, seating section for spectators (cavea), gladiator barracks, and underground storage areas.\u00a0<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Remains of it are\u00a0visible<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>today\u00a0near\u00a0the\u00a0Colosseum\u00a0on\u00a0Via\u00a0Labicana.\u00a0Other\u00a0buildings\u00a0nearby were linked to the games: a training school for gladiators, storage places for weapons and machinery, a facility to treat wounded\u00a0gladiators\u00a0and a mortuary to dispose of the bodies of dead gladiators. Three other outbuildings surrounded it: a depository for weapons, stables for animals, and storage for equipment such as roof awnings (velia).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"301\" height=\"226\" src=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-540.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-683\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Two blocks away from the Ludus Magnus,\u00a0<strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Notre Dame University\u2019s\u00a0Rome Center is\u00a0located\u00a0at 15 Via\u00a0Ostilia<\/span><\/strong>. The Center\u00a0represents\u00a0one of its two facilities which make up its extensive Rome Program:\u00a0the\u00a0Center houses\u00a0its\u00a0research\u00a0and\u00a0classroom\u00a0building\u00a0while\u00a0its\u00a0residential\u00a0component, the Villa on the Celio, stands a stone\u2019s throw away. Both facilities are set within walking\u00a0distance\u00a0the Colosseum, the Fora area and the City\u2019s\u00a0historic center.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"418\" height=\"207\" src=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-541.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-541.png 418w, https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-541-300x149.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 418px) 100vw, 418px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gladiators lived, ate, trained, and practiced for gladiatorial contests in the Colosseum at the&nbsp;Ludus Magnus. Constructed during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, it&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the&nbsp;largest of the four gladiatorial schools&nbsp;in the&nbsp;City. Located east of the Colosseum, it included an underground tunnel linking it to the amphitheater. Because it enjoyed its own&nbsp;arena&nbsp;which&nbsp;held&nbsp;3,000&nbsp;spectators,&nbsp;the&nbsp;public&nbsp;could&nbsp;attend&nbsp;the&nbsp;training sessions in anticipation and preview of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-680","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeguide.hcc-nd.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}