In A.D. 191, Dio Cassius, who was a Roman senator in the time of Commodus, was an eye-witness of the games, and gives an account of the manner in which that emperor amused himself in this amphitheatre. “He used to put on, before he entered the amphitheatre, a tunic with sleeves made of white silk embroidered with gold, and thus habited we (the Senators) saluted him; but on entering it he put on his purple robe sprinkled with gold, like a Greek _chlamys_, and a gold crown with Indian jewels; he was also accustomed to carry a _caduceus_ like Mercury. In the street some one carried before him a lion’s skin and a club. But when he went into the theatre he sat on a gold seat. He also entered the theatre in the costume of Mercury, and threw aside the other things which he had carried except the tunic. “On the first day he alone killed a hundred bears with javelins thrown from the paths in the upper part. For the amphitheatre being everywhere divided by diametrical partitions, each division having a roof, round which he could go, he could the more readily strike down the wild beasts, who were themselves divided into four divisions.... “These things being done on the first day, on other days he descended from the upper place into the area of the amphitheatre, and killed the fatted beasts when they came near to him, or were led to him, or brought in cages; he killed a tiger, and an hippopotamus, and an elephant: having done these things he went away. Then after dinner he went through the gladiatorial exercise armed as a gladiator, with the shield on his right arm, and holding the wooden sword in his left hand, of which he was very proud, as he was left-handed.... For fourteen days exhibitions of this kind were continued, and I can certify that we senators always came with the knights, except Claudius Pompeianus, the senior, he never was there, but sent his sons to see the shows....