The Flavian Amphitheater ( ), located in
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula.
History
Antiquity
Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia ...
, is the third-largest
Roman amphitheater
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 230 Roma ...
in Italy. Only the
Roman Colosseum and the
Amphitheatre of Capua are larger. It was likely built by the same architects who previously constructed the Roman Colosseum. The name "Flavian Amphitheater" is primarily associated with the Roman Colosseum.
History
It was begun under the reign of the emperor
Vespasian
Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...
and probably finished under the reign of his son
Titus
Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September AD 81) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, becoming the first Roman emperor ever to succeed h ...
. The elliptical structure measures , with the arena floor measuring . The arena can hold up to 50,000 spectators. The interior is mostly intact and one can still see parts of gears, which were used to lift cages up to the arena floor. In 305, the arena was the setting for the persecutions of the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of Pozzuoli,
Saint Proculus, and the patron saint of Naples,
Saint Januarius
Januarius ( ; ; Neapolitan and ), also known as , was Bishop of Benevento and is a martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing ...
. After surviving being thrown to the wild beasts in the arena, the two were
beheaded
Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...
at the nearby
Solfatara
A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
.
The Flavian Amphitheater is the second of two Roman amphitheaters built in Pozzuoli. The smaller and older amphitheater (Anfiteatro minore) has been almost totally destroyed by the construction of the Rome to Naples railway line. Only a dozen arches of this earlier work still exist. This lesser amphitheater measured .
The site of the structure was chosen at the nearby crossing of roads from
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
,
Capua
Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain.
History Ancient era
The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...
, and
Cumae
Cumae ( or or ; ) was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BCE. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of ...
. It was abandoned when it was partially buried by eruptions from the Solfatara volcano. During the Middle Ages, the marble used on the exterior was stripped, but the interior was left alone and is perfectly preserved. Excavations of the site were performed 1839 to 1845, 1880 to 1882, and finally in 1947.
Gallery
File:Pozzuoli, anfiteatro Flavio (17392003513).jpg
File:Pozzuoli, anfiteatro Flavio (17394006733).jpg
File:Amphitheater - Pozzuoli - Campania - Italy - July 11th 2013 - 01.jpg
File:Amphitheater - Pozzuoli - Campania - Italy - July 11th 2013 - 02.jpg
File:Pozzuoli, anfiteatro Flavio (17390946283).jpg
File:Amfiteatr Flawiuszy w Pozzuoli.jpg
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
Sources
* Crimaco, Luigi et al. ''Da Puteoli a Pozzuoli : scavi e ricerche sulla rocca del Rione Terra'', Naples : Electa Napoli, 2003. (OCLC )
* De Caro, Stefano and Greco, Angela. ''Campania'', Rome-Bari : G. Laterza, 1983, pp. 37–53. (OCLC )
*
Maiuri, Amedeo. ''Studi e ricerche sull'Anfiteatro Flavio Puteolano''.
Napoli
Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
: G. Macchiaroli, 1955. (OCLC )
* Maiuri, Amedeo. ''I Campi Flegrei'', Rome : Istituto poligrafico dello stato, 1958, pp. 19–61. (OCLC )
* Maiuri, Amedeo. L’anfiteatro flavio puteolano, in ''Memorie dell’Accademia di Lettere, Archeologia e Belle Arti di Napoli'', Naples : G. Macchiaroli, 1955. (OCLC )
* Sirpettino, Mario. ''I campi flegrei. Guida storica'', Naples : Edizioni scientifiche italiane, 1999. (OCLC )
* ''Puteoli. Studi di storia antica'', vols.I-II, Pozzuoli : Azienda autonoma di soggiorno, cura e turismo di Pozzuoli, 1977–1978. (OCLC )
* ''I Campi Flegrei. Un itinerario archeologico''. Venice : Marsilio, 1990. (OCLC )
External links
Ulixes web site for Anfiteatro Flavio in Pozzuoli (Italian Language)
{{Archaeological sites in Campania
Roman amphitheatres in Italy
Ruins in Italy
Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan City of Naples
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Pozzuoli
1st-century establishments in Italy
70s establishments in the Roman Empire