The amphitheatre becomes clearer beside the neighbouring theatre. Inaugurated in 8 BCE, its elliptical arena hosted gladiatorial games and animal spectacles rather than drama. Notice how entrances lead towards the centre and seating surrounds it from every direction. The large arena pit raises questions about equipment and operation; some interpretations remain hypotheses, so every opening should not become a spectacular certainty. Find the tribunes and consider the visibility of authority and the person funding the event. This approach reveals urban organisation and society without reducing the visit to imagined combat. Theatre and amphitheatre share an enclosure: check current access and give each building its own portion of your time. Comparing their shapes is an especially useful way to remember their different functions.
Sources checked on 21 October 2026. Opening and access may change. The walk does not include admission; allow extra time for interiors. Routes have not been audited for accessibility.
Plan this visit
Find two places of representation
The tribunes occupied the ends of the shorter axis: the Consortium associates the western one with the authorities and the eastern one with the person financing the spectacle. Locate this spatial opposition before concentrating on the arena. There is no need to reconstruct every seat mentally: compare who watched, from where and with what visible position before other spectators.
Compare through one question
Moving from theatre to amphitheatre, keep one question: where does the audience’s attention go? In one building you can follow the stage front; in the other, spectators surround the central space. Give each its own observation, then compare your answers. This avoids treating the amphitheatre as a lesser repetition and supports discussion of spectacle organisation without inventing scenes.
