Amphitheatre of Capua

The Amphitheatre of Capua may have been the first amphitheatre to be built by the Romans. It the second largest Roman amphitheatre after Colosseum and was the location of the first and most famous gladiator school. In 2024 the amphitheatre, along with ancient Capua as part of the Appian Way, has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The amphitheatre was constructed by the colony after its establishment by Augustus following the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and was restored by Hadrian in 119 AD, who added statues and columns. Emperor Antoninus Pius inaugurated it in AD 155.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the amphitheatre was damaged by the Vandals under Genseric. Along with the rest of the city, it was further damaged by the Saracens in 841, during the war of succession for the Duchy of Benevento. The structure was used as a fortress by the Lombard princes of Capua.

From the end of the 9th century, it was largely spoliated by the Capuans themselves following the transfer of the Civitas Capuana from its old Roman site to Casilinum (the current location of the town), especially for the construction of the Lombard castle. It was also used as a quarry of marble and other materials for the construction of the Capua Cathedral, the campanile, and several palaces in Capua. Later, it was also spoliated for the construction of the Church of the Annunciation, but the story that the amphitheatre was spoliated for the construction of the Royal Palace of Caserta is false. The spoliation was very thorough. Large blocks were broken up to get at the bronze and lead that held them together, and the smaller stones were used for paving the streets. Only in the Bourbon period was the destruction of the amphitheatre halted, when the king declared it a national monument.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Piazza Adriano 37, Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy

Details

Founded: -31 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Italy