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You are here: Home / History / Where does the word “arena” come from and what does it mean in Latin?

Where does the word “arena” come from and what does it mean in Latin?

April 25, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word “arena” was passed down to us from the ancient Romans.

To sop up the endlessly flowing blood, the staging area of an ancient Roman arena was made of wood but covered with sand.

“Sand” is harena in Latin, from which the word “arena” was spawned.

Underneath the wood and harena was a dark, noisy labyrinth filled with the stench and noise of prisoners, gladiators, and wild animals, who could “magically” enter the arena by way of a series of trapdoors.

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Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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