Amphitheatre of Salona
About
Salona's amphitheatre rose only in the second half of the 2nd century, around 170 CE, roughly half a century after our snapshot date. Set partly into the hillside, its elliptical arena measured about 65 by 40 meters and the auditorium held some 17,000 spectators, folded directly into the city's fortifications. A visitor to Salona in 117 CE would have crossed open ground here, decades before construction began.
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 →