So Now You Know

The Roman Colosseum was not so-named until 400 years after it was built, it was originally called the Palladium Ampitheatre.

The Coloseum's name was derived from a colossus (a 130-foot or 40-metre statue) of Nero nearby. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Sol, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. The link to Nero's colossus seems to have been forgotten over time, and the name was corrupted to Coliseum in the Middle Ages.