The Amphitheatre of Mérida is a

Roman amphitheatre Roman amphitheatres are theatres — large, circular or oval open-air venues with tiered seating — built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, ''venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About List of R ...

in the Roman '' colonia'' of

Emerita Augusta Augusta Emerita, also called Emerita Augusta, was a Roman '' colonia'' founded in 25 BC in present day Mérida, Spain. The city was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus to resettle Emeriti soldiers from the veteran legions of the Cantabrian Wars ...

–present-day Mérida, Spain–, capital of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

. It was completed in the year 8 BC, and is currently in ruins. It was used for

gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

ial fights and combats between beasts or men and beasts during

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

. The city itself, Emerita Augusta, was founded in 25 BC by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, to resettle ''

emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

'' soldiers discharged from the Roman army from two veteran legions of the

Cantabrian Wars The Cantabrian Wars (29–19 BC) (''Bellum Cantabricum''), sometimes also referred to as the Cantabrian and Asturian Wars (''Bellum Cantabricum et Asturicum''), were the final stage of the two-century long Roman conquest of Hispania, in what to ...

(the

Legio V Alaudae Legio V Alaudae ("Fifth Legion of the Lark"), sometimes also known as Legio V Gallica ("Fifth Gallic Legion"), was a legion of the Roman army founded in 52 BC by the general Gaius Julius Caesar (dictator of Rome 49-44 BC). It was levied in Tra ...

and

Legio X Gemina Legio X Gemina ("10th Twin(s) Legion" in English), was a Roman legion, which was active during the late Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as part of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 ...

). The term ''emeritus'' refers to the soldiers, all of whom had been honorably discharged from service. The amphitheatre was built as part of an entertainment complex together with the Roman Theatre. Nowadays both are part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida, which is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain and that was declared a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 1993.

History

The amphitheatre was inaugurated in the year 8 BC. This building was intended for

ial fights and combats between beasts or men and beasts and men or beasts or men and beasts (''

venatio Venatio (, "hunting", plural ''venationes'') was a type of entertainment in Roman amphitheaters involving the hunting and killing of wild animals. History Venatio was first introduced by Marcus Fulvius Nobilior, who celebrated his Greek cam ...

nes''). Circo romano de Merida.JPG, Amphitheatre of Mérida. Fronton marmol anfiteatro romano de Merida.JPG, Relief of

s from the Amphitheatre of Mérida Anfiteatro Romano Mérida.jpg, Stands of the Roman amphitheater of Mérida.

Architectural features

The amphitheatre has an elliptical shape, and a major axis of and one less than with these measures in the arena of by respectively. The sand-covered arena in the centre had a ''fossa bestiaria'' in the center, which was covered with wood and sand. This ''fossa'' was used to house animals before they were released into the arena. Its design consists of a grandstand with ''ima'', media and ''summa cavea'', and a central arena. The stands had a capacity of approximately 15,000 spectators and had supporting stairs and hallways (''scalae'') that connected the different parts internally. The ''ima cavea'' had a row reserved for the local élite and ten more for members of the public. There were also two stands located at both sides of the minor axis: one above the main entrance hall and another in front. Under them were the monumental inscription from which the amphitheatre can be dated.

External links

Official website of the City council of Mérida

Official website of the entity that manages the amphitheater and the archaeological ensemble
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merida Amphitheatre Roman amphitheatres in Spain

Amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) 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 ('), meani ...

Amphitheatre of Mérida 8 BC Amphitheatre of Mérida Amphitheatre of Mérida

History

Architectural features

See also

External links