10 Ancient Roman Foods People Actually Ate at the Colosseum
Nearly 2,000 years ago, ancient Romans enjoyed a variety of snacks when attending events at the Colosseum. Recent archaeological findings have uncovered remnants of these foods, and interestingly, they include a variety of fruits and nuts, as well as meats and early forms of pizza.
Let’s get into the details and learn more about ancient foods that spectators likely consumed during the games.
Plums
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Plum pits discovered in the Colosseum’s sewer channels confirm their consumption during events. Romans cultivated plums widely across the empire, and the fruit ripened in summer, which aligned with many major festivals and spectacles. Their limited shelf life suggests spectators ate them fresh.
Walnuts
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Walnuts, whose shells were frequently found in excavated layers, were among the most accessible nuts in ancient Rome. Romans valued them for their high fat content and long shelf life. Walnut trees grew throughout Italy and the provinces.
Hazelnuts
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Less commonly found than walnuts, hazelnuts held a slightly higher value due to their more limited regional availability. They were cultivated in northern Italy and Gaul. Their presence in the Colosseum’s waste layers indicates a more selective consumption, possibly reflecting higher-status individuals bringing personal food items into the amphitheater.
Grilled Meats
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Animal bones with clear butchery and burn marks found near the Colosseum suggest the sale and consumption of grilled meat, primarily pork, beef, and lamb. Vendors likely operated outside the amphitheater and sold freshly cooked meat before spectators entered.
Flatbreads
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Flatbreads made from wheat or barley formed the foundation of Roman street food. Archaeological findings from Roman bakeries and ovens, including carbonized remains in Pompeii, show how common bread was. Spectators would have eaten them plain or topped with herbs, cheese, or preserved items.
Cheese
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Hard cheeses, such as caseus aridus, appear in Roman agricultural manuals as durable, preserved food for laborers and travelers. They didn’t spoil quickly and paired easily with fruit or bread. Spectators likely brought cheese from home or purchased it near the Colosseum, just as they did for other prepared food.
Bread
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Bread dominated the Roman diet. Archaeologists have uncovered a wide range of bread types—from soft loaves to dense barley rounds—in ovens and waste layers across Roman cities. Wealthier Romans may have carried fresh wheat loaves, while poorer attendees brought coarse barley bread or purchased it from stalls outside the arena.
Honey Pastries
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Pastries sweetened with honey appear in Roman recipes and inscriptions. Their ingredients included flour, honey, poppy seeds, and sometimes dried fruit or nuts. Their sale around the Colosseum reflected the festive, commercial atmosphere of Roman games.
Olives
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Romans consumed both green and black olives and often preserved them in brine. Olive production was a major industry across the Mediterranean, and the fruit featured heavily in both street food and elite banquets.
Figs
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Figs were a Roman snack that never went out of style. Farmers harvested them fresh in summer and preserved them for the rest of the year. Writers like Pliny the Elder mention dozens of fig varieties from that period. At the Colosseum, their portability made them perfect for hours-long spectacles under the Roman sun.
Grapes
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Archaeologists found grape seeds buried around the Colosseum, and there’s no doubt that grapes were among the crowd’s favorite seasonal treats. They were the perfect grab-and-go fruit for spectators pouring in from nearby farms or markets.
Cherries
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Cherries didn’t grow wild in Italy—they were brought over after Roman conquests in Asia Minor. That exotic backstory gave them elite status in Roman society. Their appearance at the Colosseum was partly to show off.
Blackberries
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Blackberries lined the countryside, ripe for picking by anyone walking to the city. Their presence at the Colosseum suggests a more practical approach to snacking—spectators mixed what they could forage with whatever small sellers had on hand.
Peaches
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Peaches were soft, fragrant, and tricky to transport, so they were a rare find at Roman events. They came from Persia and were only grown in select Roman orchards, which made them both seasonal and elite. If you spotted someone with a peach at the Colosseum, odds are they had connections.