Amphitheatre of Sabratha
About
Built during the reign of Commodus at the end of the 2nd century CE, this oval arena east of the city center held several thousand spectators for beast hunts and gladiator bouts. It postdates this map's 117 CE snapshot by six decades or more. Sabratha's residents in 117 CE would have had to travel to Leptis Magna, or further, for anything resembling a permanent amphitheatre.
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
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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 →