Saturday 19th September - Amphitheatre

We headed away from the market and ok a couple of side streets and around the corner was the Amphitheatre. This was built by the Romans in the first century AD and was bases on the Coliseum except that it was not round but oval shaped. The facade is 21 metres high and has two rows of sixty arcades with round arches. The Ampitheatre had a capacity of 21,000.

There are 4 towers and the entrance today is at the northern end and not the western end. Jan reckoned that the Romans must have had long legs as the steps up to the terraces were so high.

In its day the Amphitheatre was a Place of conquest pitting gladiators against gladiators or wild beasts. The fights were put on during feast days and were generally financed by magistrates whose careers hinged on shows of grandure.
Today the Amphitheatre is used for bull fights