The Carthage Amphitheatre was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
amphitheatre
An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
constructed in the first century CE in the city of
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
,
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
, which was rebuilt by Dictator
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
and became the capital of
Africa Proconsularis
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
.
Predation plaguing the archaeological site only exists within the
arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...
itself. The building earned the admiration of travelers, especially during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
.
History
The amphitheatre of Carthage was built at the end of the 1st century or the beginning of the 2nd century, to the west of the hill of
Byrsa. An inscription date certifies that it was in service from 133–139 C.E. It expanded during the 3rd century.
Al-Bakri
Abū ʿUbayd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAmr al-Bakrī ( ar, أبو عبيد عبد الله بن عبد العزيز بن محمد بن أيوب بن عمرو البكري), or simply al-Bakrī (c. 1040–1 ...
gives an account of the amphitheatre in the 11th century, where he describes the monument as "
hemost wonderful Carthage: This building is composed of a circle of arches supported by columns and topped by other ''things'' similar to the forefront arcades. On the walls of this building, we see pictures representing animals
..can be distinguished figures that symbolize the winds: the East looks smiling, and the West has a frowning face".
The height of the arches was the admiration of visitors during the Middle Ages including
Al Idrissi
Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...
, who was impressed by the "circus building consisting of approximately fifty arches"; he adds: "At the top of each arch is an arch, and the arch of the lower arch, we see various figures carved in relief and curious representations of humans, animals, ships, all executed with infinite skill and immense skill".
Since the monument has been raided by looters, the stone and metal have been levelled to the ground. Thus, only the arena remained open at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, in the middle of a grove of pine trees. The wall has been restored as well.
In 1887, a cross was erected in the center in memory of the
martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
of
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ� ...
[Colette Picard, op. cit., p. 69] including
Perpetua and Felicity. These two saints of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
were probably martyred in a similar monument, although we are unsure of which one specifically. The modern construction of a
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...
dedicated to the two holy women disrupted basement facilities in the amphitheatre.
Architectural features
The amphitheatre offers an arena on , surrounded by a
podium
A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be use ...
built in ''
opus quadratum'' of in height and stands based on a series of 54
spans. Its
perimeter
A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference.
Calculating the perimeter has several pr ...
is outside of on . During its expansion, its major axis is raised to and a width of , with a front made of blocks Kadhel. Its capacity is estimated at 30,000 seats.
This is one of three African amphitheatres to have been built atop flat ground rather than on a hill, the others being
El Jem and
Thapsus.
See also
*
List of Roman amphitheatres
The remains of at least 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found widely scattered around the area of the Roman Empire. These are large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised 360 degree seating and not to be confused with the more common ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carthage Amphitheatre
Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC
Roman amphitheaters in North Africa
Carthage
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Tunisia
Roman sites in Tunisia