Amphitheatre of Leptis Magna
About
Governor Marcus Pompeius Silvanus dedicated this amphitheatre to the young emperor Nero in 56 CE, cutting a natural depression above the sea into an oval arena for around 16,000 spectators. A decorative tabula ansata inscription names the governor, his deputy, and the emperor it honored. In 117 CE, six decades old, it still stands roughly a kilometer from the city center, near enough for a show and far enough that the Forum barely hears the crowd.
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.
In ancient writing
- Anonymous, Dedicatory inscription, Amphitheatre of Leptis Magna in situ, tabula ansata
Names governor Marcus Pompeius Silvanus, his deputy Quintus Cassius Gratus, and Nero.
Sources
Nearby
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 →