Ancient Stadium of Perge Was Remodeled for Roman Entertainments

ANTALYA, TURKEY—The first-century A.D. stadium in the ancient city of Perge was converted into an amphitheater and used for executions involving wild animals during the third century, Hürriyet Daily News reports. Located in southwestern Turkey, Perge was founded by the Lycians in the twelfth century B.C., and was later inhabited by the Greeks. Aytaç Dönmez of Istanbul University said that the city’s stadium originally measured about 800 feet long. Then, to make the structure suitable for Roman-style entertainment, the northern section was enclosed to form an arena. “We realized that some of the pedestal remains uncovered during the excavations were bases for platforms and crosses used in executions known as ‘Damnatio ad Bestias,’ where prisoners were put to death in arenas during the Roman period,” Dönmez said. A guillotine-style gate system was also added to release wild animals into the space. It likely produced a more sudden and dramatic effect for the spectators than the system at the Colosseum in Rome, where animals were lifted into the arena from underground chambers, Dönmez added. Scenes of execution by wild animals were also found on ceramic fragments at the site. “Chariot racing was also popular in Rome, so we are currently focusing on the possibility that part of the track may have been adapted for such races,” Dönmez concluded. To read more about gladiatorial combat in ancient Anatolia, go to "Let the Games Begin."