Amphitheatre of Serdica

The amphitheater of Serdica (Latin: Amphitheater Serdicense ) was an amphitheater in the ancient Roman city of Ulpia Serdica, now the Bulgarian capital Sofia. It was outside the city walls, 300 meters from the East Gate of Serdica. The amphitheater was discovered in 2004 and from 2005 to 2006 is partially exposed. Its ruins are located on two adjacent sites in the center of modern Sofia.

The late ancient amphitheater was built in the 3rd to 4th century AD on the ruins of another Roman theater, which came from the 2nd to 3rd century and was destroyed by the Goths.

However, the amphitheater of Serdica was only for less than a century in use. It was abandoned in the 5th century. The arena in Serdica was only ten meters smaller than the Colosseum. Thus, the amphitheater of Serdica was one of the largest in the eastern part of the Roman Empire and was the largest in the territory of today's Bulgaria. There were gladiator fights, fights with wild animals and animal hunts instead, which were advertised at the entrance to the city.

History

The amphitheater of Serdica was built on the ruins of an earlier Roman theater, which was built in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. The ruins of this older theater were discovered five feet below the ruins of the amphitheater. The 55 -meter-wide theater was more than twice as large as the Roman theater of Philippopolis.

Roman Theatre

Serdicas older Roman theater was with the protective walls of the city under Commodus ( reigned 180-192 ), possibly at the same time built. During the reign of Septimius Severus ( reigned 193-211 ) and Caracalla ( reigned 211-217 ) was used in the theater. These two rulers might have visited the theater in the year 202 or 209 with their families. In the first half of the year 268 attacking Goths destroyed the theater unprotected located on the outskirts of the city and burned it. The theater was abandoned forever.

Late Antique amphitheater

As coin and pottery including a bronze medallion of Antinous show, the amphitheater was in two stages in the 3rd and early 4th century AD under the Roman emperors Diocletian ( reigned 284-305 ) and Constantine the Great ( reigned 306-337 ) built on the ruins of the ancient theater. It is believed that the amphitheater was enlarged and reconstructed the time of Constantine (ca. 324-330 ).

The amphitheater itself was less than a century in operation. For the time being, it is believed that the amphitheater at Serdica in light of the reforms of Theodosius I ( reigned 379-395 ) against the pagan cults and games forfeited its importance and was the end of the 4th century gradually abandoned.

The towering ruins of the massive building were used in the 6th -7th centuries as seasonal military camp of the Byzantine army. It also served as a warehouse and at times as a refuge for the various peoples who attacked the ancient Serdica. During the barbarian invasions in the 5th and 6th centuries, they built their houses on the territory of the former amphitheater.

During the period of Ottoman rule (late 14th to 19th century), it was used for the extraction of building materials for house construction.

Discovery

The existence of a Roman amphitheater in Serdica was suspected since 1919, after a stone slab was found ( at the site of the stone plate is now the building of the Council of Ministers ), on the facade of an amphitheater and gladiator fights and animal hunts were mapped. On the stone slab crocodiles, bears, bulls and wild cats are depicted in the fight. It is believed that this stone slab standing at the entrance to the city of Serdica to announce this event. This stone slab is exhibited at the National History Museum of Bulgaria in Sofia.

The amphitheater itself was only discovered by chance in 2004, when construction began on the later hotel " Arena di Serdica ". In today's Sofia the ruins are located south of the boulevard Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov, between the headquarters of the Goethe Institute in Sofia and the Embassy of the United Kingdom.

The underlying ancient theater was discovered during excavation work in the sewers for the arena of the amphitheater.

When construction work on the foundations of the National Electricity Company in July 2006, further ruins came around to the fore. It was not clear that this new Roman finds were part of the large arena. The east gate of the amphitheater and the part that is on the grounds of the hotel (there is a sixth of the total building floor area), were obtained and integrated into the ground floor of the hotel.

The range is the day for tourists freely accessible, except Mondays. There is also a small exhibition of finds ( pottery and coins ). Since 2007, the west gate and the adjacent part of the amphitheater have been unearthed, which lie on the grounds of the National Electricity Company. Against the planned construction of a building on this surface run protests.

Description

With dimensions of 60.5 by 43 meters, the arena of the amphitheater of Serdica was only ten meters less than the arena of the Colosseum in Rome. Thus, the amphitheater of Serdica was one of the largest in the eastern part of the Roman Empire and much larger than the other two Roman amphitheater in modern Bulgaria - in Diocletianopolis (now Hisarya ) and Marcianopolis (now Devnya ). In terms of architecture, the amphitheater of Serdica with the Amphitheatre of Lutetia (Paris) to be compared.

The amphitheater took 20,000 to 25,000 spectators. As the arenas in the Mediterranean had the amphitheater of Serdica in an east -west orientation.

The podium for the high-ranking officials were in the southern part of the amphitheater, near the present-day National Art Gallery.

The amphitheater had two main entrances, one each on the west and east. They were connected by an underground water channel. The west gate was 3.5 m wide and probably covered by a 5 m high arch.

Among the excavated and preserved ruins include the main entrance, the basement, parts of the main section with at least seven audience seats and doors with sliding doors could be left by the animals in the arena.

At least a part of the brickwork was carried out in Opus mixtum.

Among the finds include bones of bears and wild boars, hundreds of bronze coins and clay stone with footprints of goats, dogs and cats.