[aculeus]

There is no coliseum in Rome. There is, however, a Colosseum.

There is no Colosseum in my Random House Webster's. There is, however, a coliseum: "a large building for sporting events, exhibitions, etc." .

Coward that I am, I checked before posting my # 56. But I defer to the mighty Romulus ... in matters Romeous.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

WHOOPEE

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Google is down ATM, but Yahoo shed some light on the reason for the apparent spelling goof.

Colosseum....Although amphitheaters were built throughout the Roman Empire, none were as large and grand as this. The name, however, derives not from its great size, but from the Colossus, a large bronze statue of Nero, standing near it. It provided good visibility for the more than 50,000 spectators who viewed animal games, spectacles, and gladiatorial combats there. Begun in the 1st century CE by Vespasian, a member of the Flavian family, it remained in use until the early 6th century.

Pax vobiscum

[Romulus]

You are mighty kind. In the interest of full disclosure and fair play, I must concede that the Michelin Guide Verte spell it "Coliseum." They're wrong, of course. The French impose many of their orthographic idiosyncracies on Italian place names. It's no coincidence that chauvinisme is a French word.