Amphitheatre of Bleso
About
A local benefactor named Bleso funded this amphitheatre for Tibur sometime during Hadrian's reign, giving the city its own venue for games without a trip to Rome. It rises well after this map's 117 CE snapshot, in the same building boom that produced Hadrian's Villa nearby. In 117 CE, Tibur's citizens still have to travel to see anything resembling a proper arena.
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 →