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Amphitheatre

Bread and games! In addition to the playhouse in the centre of Augusta Raurica, the inhabitants treated themselves to a large oval arena located on the southern periphery of the town. It was built in the heyday of the town around AD 200 and had a capacity of approximately 8,000 spectators. This was the stage for animal fights and gladiatorial combat.

- Theatre and amphitheatre - Gladiatorial combat and animal fights
Today:		In Roman times:
Town officials and honorary guests watched the spectacle from the now reconstructed grandstand. The animals and props were originally kept in the carcer underneath the grandstand which, today, houses a multimedia presentation. While the amphitheatre, nowadays situated in an idyllic setting in a hollow surrounded by woods, was not built until many generations after the founding of the town, it had an exciting history. After it had only been used for seventy years, it was abandoned to make way for the construction of the fort on the Kastelen hill. Much of the stone was taken away in the late 3rd century and the grounds of the arena were turned into a massive gravel pit. The complex was a welcome addition to the playhouse in the town centre. Today, both monuments serve as stages for open-air concerts, plays and the ever popular Roman festival.
At the time of its discovery in 1959		In the comic book "Prisca und Silvanus"
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