During a survey of the ancient city of Mastaura in western Turkey, archaeologists happened upon the stone arches and seats of a large Roman amphitheater, most of which remains underground. Archaeologists Sedat Akkurnaz of Adnan Menderes University and Mehmet Umut Tuncer of the Aydın Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism think the arena was built around A.D. 200, when the city flourished under the largesse of the Severan emperors, who ruled from A.D. 193 to 235. With an estimated seating capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 people, the amphitheater was one of the only such grand structures in Anatolia, the researchers say. It probably attracted spectators from nearby cities for the bloody gladiator bouts and wild animal fights that took place there. As at the famed Colosseum in Rome, rooms beneath the building’s outer walls likely served as waiting areas for combatants and private entertainment spaces for elite audience members.
In the Anatolian Arena
SHARE:
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2022
Canyon of the Ancestors
(Blaundus Excavation Archive)
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2021
Kaleidoscopic Walls
(Courtesy of Cees Passchier)
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2021
Artemis, Apollo, and Friends
(Courtesy of Nevzat Çevik)
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2019
Funny Business
(Courtesy Michael Hoff/Antiochia ad Cragum Excavations)
-
Features July/August 2021
Autobiography of a Maya Ambassador
A grand monument and a humble burial chronicle the changing fortunes of a career diplomat
(Justin Kerr, K-5763, Justin Kerr Maya Vase Archive, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, D.C.) -
Letter from Alaska July/August 2021
The Cold Winds of War
A little-known World War II campaign in the Aleutian Islands left behind an undisturbed battlefield strewn with weapons and materiel
(Brendan Coyle) -
Artifacts July/August 2021
Egyptian Copper Tools
(Courtesy Martin Odler and Jiří Kmošek, Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University) -
Digs & Discoveries July/August 2021
A Challenging World
(Courtesy Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority)