Anfiteatro Romano
The amphitheater is located in the city area connecting the Castello neighborhood and the Sant'Avendrace area.
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About this place
The amphitheater is located in the city area connecting the Castello neighborhood and the Sant'Avendrace area. The term seems to explicitly refer to the architectural form of the structure: it would indeed be an "amphi-theatrum", that is, a double "theatrum". Starting from the early imperial age, the term supplants the older term "spectacula", which literally indicates a set of seats from which it was possible to watch a show. B. C. The construction of the amphitheater of Cagliari can be dated between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Its structure is largely dug directly into the rock of the hill, both the steps and the underground rooms. The same area of the amphitheater became over the centuries (starting from the Judicial age) a real stone quarry, used both for the recovery of already worked construction material and for the extraction of new limestone blocks. The signs of this use of the area are still clearly visible. The systematic plundering ended around the mid-nineteenth century, when the amphitheater became municipal property. The capacity seems to have been around ten thousand spectators. Above the arena was the "podium", reserved for the most important people. The social classes of the free (hierarchically divided into "senatores, equites", plebeians and servants) occupied the "ima, media, summa cavea". The women and slaves occupied the last covered staircase, the gallery. At the amphitheater of Cagliari mainly fights between gladiators and clashes between gladiators and ferocious animals took place, but it seems that the amphitheater was also intended for the representation of theatrical shows and the execution of capital sentences. The rainwater that collected on the steps of the amphitheater flowed into the large cistern from a 96 m long passage accessed through an opening dug into the rock ("euripus") on the S side of the arena. Aspects and problems. 155-159.
via Sant'Ignazio da Laconi, 27, Cagliari
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Our Story
A rich history
The term "amphitheatrum" (amphitheater) designates a particular type of monument, peculiar to the Roman world and culture, intended to host gladiator fights (called "munera") and wild animal hunts (called "venationes"). The oldest attestations of this monumental type seem to date back to the end of the 2nd century. For the construction of the remaining construction parts, such as the now destroyed S façade, local limestone was used, extracted in blocks. During the excavation carried out by Spano, numerous marble slabs were found, intended to cover the steps, divided into three different levels, each of which was intended for spectators belonging to a specific social class; access to each level was through a specific passage. History of the excavations The first information relating to the amphitheater dates back to the 17th century and is reported in a work by Dionisio Bonfant, actually dedicated to the events of the Sardinian saints. A period of silence follows which is interrupted in 1823 by the captain of the Royal British Navy William Henry Smith, who, in his representation of the bay of Cagliari, mentions the existence of the ruins of an ancient amphitheatre, located near the Capuchin convent. Other news was reported by Abbot Vittorio Angius in 1836, by Valery in 1837 and by General Alberto della Marmora in 1840. However, it was only between 1866 and 1868 that the first excavations took place, conducted by Canon Giovanni Spano. The subsequent excavation, consolidation and restoration intervention dates back to 1937-38, conducted by the archaeologist Doro Levi. Bibliography P. Meloni, The Roman Sardegna, Sassari, Chiarella, 1992; S. Angiolillo, The art of Roman Sardegna, Milan, Jaca Book, 1982; P. Pala, The Roman amphitheater of Cagliari, Nuoro, Insula, 2002; A. M. Colavitti, Cagliari ; Bretschneider's Herm, Rome, 2003; A. M. Colavitti-C. Tronchetti, Archaeological guide of Cagliari, series "Sardegna archaeological. Guides and Itineraries", Sassari, Carlo Delfino, 2003; A. Mastino, History of ancient Sardegna, Nuoro, Il Maestrale, 2005; M. Dadea, The Roman amphitheater of Cagliari, series "Sardegna archeologica. Guides and Itineraries", Sassari, Carlo Delfino, 2006; M. Dadea, "An early Christian graffito with ship figure in Cagliari", in The baptismal building in Italia. Proceedings of the VIII National Conference of Christian Archaeology, Bordighera, 2001, I, pp.
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Cagliari, Cagliari Sardegna
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via Sant'Ignazio da Laconi, 27, Cagliari
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