Rebuilding The Colosseum.(Rome)(Brief Article)

The Colosseum is like Rome itself. After all these centuries, it never runs out of surprises. One of the latest turned up on a second-tier corridor only a few weeks ago: an amateurish but detailed drawing scratched into the wall. The subject is a crouching gladiator armed with a bow and arrow. Experts say the graffitist was probably a fight fan (a teenager or a grown man, to judge from the picture's complexity and its height above the floor) passing the wait between bouts, 1,600 or more years ago.

As trivial as the discovery may sound, it's pure treasure to Roselle Rea. She's the chief archaeologist for an eight-year, $18 million restoration project currently underway at the mightiest of Rome's ancient monuments. When the overhaul is finished in 2003, visitors will be able to explore parts of the Flavian Amphitheater (the Colosseum's proper name) that have been out of public view for centuries--and a few that were off-limits even in the days of the emperors. Rea's enthusiasm is contagious. "Some days the light on a certain wall brings out a piece of ancient graffiti," she says. "Some days, depending on conditions, the discoveries and conclusions are awesome. Some days, things are clear that were mysteries for centuries."

The clearest thing was that the place was falling apart. The whole outer wall--what's left of it--was at risk, according to the project's chief architect, Giangiacomo Martines. The restorers had to mend a widening fissure that extended nearly the entire height of the north face. The foundation needed stabilizing, and some of the exterior arches had to be shored up with supplementary barrier arches. Huge blocks of marble and ancient concrete were coaxed back into alignment, millimeter by millimeter. Since the completion of that phase last year, workers have begun scouring away centuries of soot from the outer walls to expose the monument's original golden tinge.

Big changes are continuing inside. Until the project began, only 15 percent of the Colosseum was open to the public. Now visitors can tour some 35 percent. Two years from now, when the scheduled renovations are complete, 85 percent will be accessible, including underground sections where animals were caged and gladiators prepared for battle. The topmost tier will be open again, too, giving tourists a panoramic view of the city for the first time in almost 1,500 years. Meanwhile, Rea and her team keep digging up more surprises. Earlier this year they uncovered a secret passage, elaborately decorated with mosaics and plaster carvings, that was built to let Emperor Commodus (177-192) slip away from angry mobs.

The restorers have added a few improvements to the old ruin. The biggest of them are a giant wooden stage at the east end of the arena and a wooden gangway that spans the stadium. The platform, covered with sand like the arena's original floor, is supposed to protect the subterranean levels from weather damage and serve as a performance space. Last year a drama group used the stage to put on the arena's first public spectacle since the sixth century: an enactment of Sophocles's "Oedipus" trilogy for a sellout crowd of ...