The Roman stadium was developed from long U-shaped structures built by the ancient Greeks – in fact, the word stadium comes from 'stade', which was the distance of a Greek foot race. The Romans developed the stade into the circus, where chariot racing was held, and the amphitheatre, which hosted gladiatorial games. We can see from this aerial view of the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Nimes, France, how similar in design it is to the sporting stadia of today.

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