Skip to player
Skip to main content
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Bookmark
Share
More
Add to Playlist
Report
Last Roman Gladiator Arena Unearthed In Switzerland
Live Science
Follow
5 minutes ago
Archaeologists in Switzerland have uncovered the ruins of a Roman-era amphitheater — possibly the youngest on record — where spectators likely watched gladiator fights and animal hunts with bated breath.
Category
🤖
Tech
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Archaeologists in Switzerland have uncovered the ruins of a Roman-era amphitheater,
00:05
and it may be one of the youngest of its kind on record.
00:13
Just like spectators at the famous Colosseum in Rome,
00:16
spectators at this arena likely watch gladiator fights and animal hunts.
00:20
Researchers discovered the amphitheater while monitoring construction work for a new boathouse
00:26
for the Basel rowing group on the Rhine in December 2021. The site falls within the ancient Roman city
00:32
of Augusta Rorica, and it already has two other known Roman-era amphitheaters. But this amphitheater
00:39
was thought to be extraordinarily young, at least by Roman standards. Researchers think it was built
00:44
in late antiquity or in the 4th century AD, possibly making it the youngest amphitheater of its kind.
00:50
So, what are the clues pointing to its age? For starters, the amphitheater was built in a quarry
00:56
that the Romans abandoned in late antiquity. This means that the structure was built after the
01:01
quarry work stopped, or in the 4th century. Another clue is that the building materials and style in
01:08
which they were used are reminiscent of a late antique fort wall. Also compelling is the discovery
01:14
of a coin at the site, which dates to AD 337 to AD 341. Finally, let's dig into the history of Augusta Rorica.
01:23
The ancient Roman city already had two other known amphitheaters, as we mentioned,
01:28
that were in the upper part of the city. There was no reason to build one in the lower part of the city,
01:34
said Jacob Balotcher, an archaeologist at the site and head of excavations in Kaisergass, Switzerland.
01:40
Near the newfound amphitheater is a Roman fort, known as the Castromorascens, which was built in
01:46
about AD 300. The fort was built to protect the northern border of the Roman Empire, as just across
01:53
the Rhine River was Germania. In about 351 AD, Germanic tribes crossed that Rhine River and destroyed
02:01
the fort, although it was later rebuilt. This fort had military personnel, but it was also an administrative
02:07
center. So perhaps the better question is, why not build a Roman-era amphitheater there to entertain
02:14
all the people in that area? The oval-shaped amphitheater was sizable. It was about 164 feet long
02:21
and 131 feet wide, but it was small compared with the Colosseum. That marble built in the AD 70s held
02:28
roughly 50,000 people, and its central arena was about 285 feet by 180 feet, or larger than the entire
02:37
square amphitheater, just found in Switzerland.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment
Recommended
0:45
|
Up next
OTD in Space - October 14: Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier
Space.com
1 hour ago
1:46
Watch What Happens To The Raptor Engine After A SpaceX Test
Space.com
2 hours ago
3:44
Amazing James Webb Space Telescope's View Of Carina Nebula
Space.com
2 hours ago
2:25
Advice On Large Money Inheritance
Kiplinger
1 hour ago
1:28
10 Money Saving Tips For Travel Insurance
Kiplinger
18 hours ago
7:47
How To Produce A Bass Line With Automation Using Ableton Live 11 | Music Radar
Music Radar
21 hours ago
6:53
Elektron Model - Samples Sound Demo | Music Radar
Music Radar
21 hours ago
2:03
How Do You Define Wealth - The Answer May Surprise You
Kiplinger
22 hours ago
2:17
Discovery Of Fossilized Human Footprints In An Ancient Lakebed
Live Science
5 minutes ago
2:14
German Steamship Wreck May Hold Looted Treasures From Russian Palace
Live Science
5 minutes ago
1:45
T. Rex Walked A Lot Slower Than You'd Think
Live Science
5 minutes ago
2:44
Ice Age Horse Not What We Thought
Live Science
5 minutes ago
9:40
Those Beautiful Auroras Were From A Major Solar Flare
Live Science
1 hour ago
1:27
Could Black Hole-Sized Magnetic Fields Be Created on Earth?
Live Science
1 hour ago
1:36
The Therapeutic Skin-Care Routine of Dolphins
Live Science
22 hours ago
1:58
Ancient Mummy Coffins Discovered In Egypt’s Saqqara
Live Science
22 hours ago
2:24
Leaking German Shipwreck From The 40's
Live Science
23 hours ago
4:41
Monkeypox Explainer
Live Science
23 hours ago
1:12
Footage Of Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Touchdown On Asteroid Ryugu
Live Science
23 hours ago
1:42
About Marie Curie
Live Science
1 day ago
4:54
Did Dreadnoughtus Really Have Air Sacs?
Live Science
1 day ago
1:24
Why Does Rain Smell So Good?
Live Science
1 day ago
1:16
Rescued Python Covered In Hundreds Of Ticks
Live Science
1 day ago
1:33
Civil War Myths
Live Science
1 day ago
2:20
Monarch Butterflies Are Endangered Species Now
Live Science
1 day ago
Be the first to comment