The Coliseum was used pretty much as a quarry for centuries: during the Middle Ages it was considered a symbol of the persecution of the Christian rather than a

The Coliseum was used pretty much as a quarry for centuries: during the Middle Ages it was considered a symbol of the persecution of the Christian rather than an archeological site, as such it was OK to destroy it in order to collect precious marble to build churches. Right now it's pretty much at the center of a roundabout... There are lot of things in Rome that were studied and them left underground because it made no sense to expose them in a museum or just to the elements. The Coliseum, on the other hand, has always been above ground.