Travel back 2000 years to unearth the foundations of the modern stadium.

4se Material is the podcast series that explores some of the many stories at the intersection of sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture. In this episode, we revisit what is perhaps the original sports entertainment story - that of the Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world and a symbol of one of history’s grandest and most famed empires. We’ll reveal the surprising ways in which the largest-ever ancient Amphitheatre has inspired the modern-day sports venue, both from an architectural and game-day experience perspective.

The story unfolds with the help of two expert contributors: for a brief history of the Colosseum and to paint a picture of a day in the life of a Roman at the Games, we consulted Dr Peta Greenfield - historian, classicist and co-host of The Partial Historians Podcast; and for insight on the process of designing a stadium and the importance of audience-conscious sports architecture we spoke to Christopher Lee, who is Managing Director, EMEA at Populous, the world’s leading sports and entertainment venue architectural firm.