Croatia

Every time we say arena, we’re saying sand in Latin.

In Roman amphitheatres, the fighting floor was covered with sand, among other things to soak up blood after gladiatorial combat. In Latin, sand was harena or arena, and the word with time came to mean the fighting floor itself.

In Pula, Croatia, one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres still stands. From the sand of places like this, the word has travelled on, to sports arenas, concert arenas and arenas of every kind. Today even politics has an arena.