Erected in 8 BC as evidenced by the inscriptions found in its tribunes, the Amphitheater served as the stage for very popular shows: gladiatorial games, beast hunts and the fight between wild animals in artificial settings that recreated forests, jungles with lagoons or deserts, all on the large wooden platforms that formed the sand. The approximate capacity of this gigantic arena was between fifteen and sixteen thousand spectators.
Adjacent to the Theater, it is separated from it by a road that surrounds both buildings. With more poverty of means, this building was built in a similar way to that of the Theater and, like that one, it is the result of various phases. To cut costs, part of the stands was placed on factory boxes filled with heavily packed earth. The walls were made of well-chipped stone from the place. Sometimes the layers of the walls were matched with brick execution. In the arches of the access openings, ashlars were used presenting the characteristic padding from the Augustan period.
The distribution of the stands was similar to that of the Theater, although today only the cavea ima and some sectors of the cavea media are well preserved. In three of the axes of the ellipse we can appreciate the existence of four monumental doors that, from the outside, and through wide corridors, two of them staggered, lead to the sand.
In different sections of each corridor doors were opened that, by means of stairs, gave access to the stands. On the door of the western minor axis the magistrates' rostrum was located, which is not preserved. In front of this, on the eastern axis, was the tribune, which is preserved partially restored, where the people who paid for it enjoyed the show. Through a small staircase the sponsors accessed the arena.
The bleachers were separated from the arena by means of a granite podium, which was lined with marble slabs, as evidenced by the presence of the anchor holes in the podium blocks. On this, there was a barrier made with granite ashlars. On the side facing the arena, these ashlars wore paintings alluding to the gladiatorial games and the landscapes in which they took place.
Flanking the doors of the major axes, there are a series of rooms that were either used as a cage for wild beasts or as rooms where gladiators were prepared.
In the sand you can see the presence of a large moat. The wooden pillars that supported the platforms were located there and, under which, all the devices necessary for the development of such complex shows were hidden.
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Hours of Operation:
Schedule From October 1 to March 31 Every day: 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. From April 1 to September 30 Every day: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Admission Prices:
Individual Theater-Amphitheater ticket: € 12 (normal) - € 6 (reduced) Entrance to the Complete Monumental Complex (Theater-Amphitheater, Alcazaba, Circus, Morerías, Sta. Eulalia Crypt, Mitreo-Columbarios House, Amphitheater House and Diana Temple): € 16 (normal) - € 8 (reduced)