00:00Archaeologists in Switzerland have uncovered the ruins of a Roman-era amphitheater,
00:05and it may be one of the youngest of its kind on record.
00:12Just like spectators at the famous Colosseum in Rome,
00:16spectators at this arena likely watch gladiator fights and animal hunts.
00:20Researchers discovered the amphitheater while monitoring construction work for a new boathouse
00:25for the Basel rowing group on the Rhine in December 2021.
00:29The site falls within the ancient Roman city of Augusta Rorica,
00:33and it already has two other known Roman-era amphitheaters.
00:38But this amphitheater was thought to be extraordinarily young, at least by Roman standards.
00:43Researchers think it was built in late antiquity or in the 4th century AD,
00:47possibly making it the youngest amphitheater of its kind.
00:50So, what are the clues pointing to its age?
00:53For starters, the amphitheater was built in a quarry that the Romans abandoned in late antiquity.
00:59This means that the structure was built after the quarry work stopped, or in the 4th century.
01:04Another clue is that the building materials and style in which they were used
01:09are reminiscent of a late antique fort wall.
01:12Also compelling is the discovery of a coin at the site, which dates to AD 337 to AD 341.
01:20Finally, let's dig into the history of Augusta Rorica.
01:23The ancient Roman city already had two other known amphitheaters, as we mentioned,
01:28that were in the upper part of the city.
01:30There was no reason to build one in the lower part of the city, said Jacob Balotcher,
01:35an archaeologist at the site and head of excavations in Kaisergass, Switzerland.
01:41Near the newfound amphitheater is a Roman fort known as the Castromorascens, which was built in about AD 300.
01:48The fort was built to protect the northern border of the Roman Empire, as just across the Rhine River was
01:54Germania.
01:55In about 351 AD, Germanic tribes crossed that Rhine River and destroyed the fort, although it was later rebuilt.
02:04This fort had military personnel, but it was also an administrative center.
02:08So perhaps the better question is, why not build a Roman-era amphitheater there to entertain all the people in
02:15that area?
02:16The oval-shaped amphitheater was sizable. It was about 164 feet long and 131 feet wide, but it was small
02:24compared with the Colosseum.
02:25That marble built in the AD 70s held roughly 50,000 people, and its central arena was about 285 feet
02:34by 180 feet,
02:35or larger than the entire amphitheater just found in Switzerland.
02:40The
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