5th Century Repair to the Colosueum
Plaque reads:
'"Decius Marius Venantius Basilius, Senator of the rank of the most famous and illustrious, Prefect of Rome, ordinary Consul, restored the arena and the podium which were destroyed by the violence of a terrible earthquake, at his own expense"
This restoration work financed by the Prefect of Rome, took place in 484 or 508AD
Three copies of this inscription were found, of which one, discovered in the second half of the 16th century, is lost. The inscription exhibited here was discovered in 1813 in the underground structures, in the centre of the major axis. The text was written on a re-used block, originally part of the architecture, as may be gathered from the conspicuous slots on the reverse side.
Inv. n. 373616'
Submitted by: @IanThorp