Naval Battles
The Romans enjoyed great spectacles. The wealth of the early Roman Empire allowed for extravagant re-enactments of famous water battles (naumachiae). In fact the first Naumachiae shows date back to the first Punic war against Carthage during the days of the Roman Republic when the Romans were enjoying new successes with their naval fleet - the Roman Navy. The first Naumachiae or water battles probably started when new ships were being built and sailors and slaves trained in how to row. While the ships were being built the rowers were trained on scaffolds placed upon the land, like benches of ships at sea. There training would then transfer to finished ships launched near Rome. This spectacle would have been watched by enthralled Roman spectators. The sea, rivers and eventually lakes were used for the more serious re-enactments of sea battles. Rowing practise was replaced with actual water battles, where the combatants were expected to slaughter heir opponents, or drown in the process. There has been evidence found of underground aqueducts from emperor Nero's artificial lake. When Nero's son built over the palace, he rerouted the water from the aqueducts to flood the Colosseum. There has also been evidence of 4 drainage tunnels. These 4 drainage tunnels could have been able to drain the Colosseum in less than 2 hours.