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image captionRome s ancient Colosseum has not had an arena floor since the 19th Century
The Italian government has approved a plan to furnish Rome s ancient Colosseum with a new floor, giving visitors the chance to stand where gladiators once fought.
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced the project to build the wooden, retractable floor on Sunday.
Italian engineering firm Milan Ingegneria won the 18.5m euro (£16.1m; $22.2m) contract to design the floor.
The floor is expected to be finished by 2023.
At present, the 2,000-year-old monument has no floor. It was removed by archaeologists in the 19th Century, exposing the underground network of tunnels where gladiators and animals were held before the Roman blood sports began.
Kuruc info - Összecsukható színpadot húznak fel Colosseum arénájában
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Véres összecsapások színtere is lehetett ez a törökországi régészeti helyszín
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Római kori gladiátorarénát tártak fel Törökországban
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