Roman Amphitheatre of Saintes
About
Saintes built this amphitheatre around 40 CE by cutting directly into a natural hillside, letting the terrain itself carry much of the seating for a crowd of up to 15,000 -- one of the oldest amphitheatres in Roman Gaul, predating the Colosseum by roughly 40 years. Its arena floor stretches 66 by 39 meters, ringed by underground galleries that once held animals and gladiators before their entrances. It already stood as a mature, decades-old landmark of Mediolanum Santonum by the time Trajan died in 117 CE.
What happened here
Doors open early and the programme runs all day. Morning is animal hunts, staged with scenery hauled up through trapdoors from the corridors below. Midday is executions, and it is the hour when the seats thin out and people go for lunch. The afternoon is the gladiators, matched by type and record like boxers, refereed, and stopped when a man raises a finger. Most fights are not to the death — a trained fighter is expensive — but a decision can go the other way and the crowd is consulted. Seating is strictly by rank: officials at the front, women at the top. Awnings are worked by sailors detailed for the job. Sand is spread thick and replaced between shows, and the whole building smells of it.
Sources
Nearby
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Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →