The Amphitheatre at El Djem
The Third Largest Amphitheatre in the Roman World
Situated 210km south of Tunis in a modern Tunisian market town, the amphitheatre of El Djem was built in the late second century AD. A symbol of Roman power and the prosperity of the provincial town of Thysdrus, El Djem’s original name, its impressive remains preserve not only the seating areas but also the working features of the arena.
The History of Roman Thysdrus
Thysdrus was founded by the Romans in 46BC on the site of an original Punic settlement. The town quickly became prosperous based on the growth and processing of olives for which the area was famous. By the second century AD, the town had a population of 30,000 and was regarded as the leading olive producing centre in Roman North Africa, famed for the quantity and quality of its products. The increased wealth and significance of Thysdrus instigated a programme of public and private building works. The amphitheatre was one of these.
Design and Construction of the Amphitheatre of El Djem
The amphitheatre standing today replaced a smaller original structure that seated 8000 people. Built of red limestone, it was the third biggest amphitheatre in the Roman world and would have seated 30,000 spectators. It dominated the skyline of Thysdrus in much the way it does modern El Djem.
The amphitheatre measures 149 metres long, 124 metres wide and 36 metres high and consisted of 3 stories. Each storey was constructed of a series of arches composed of composite engaged columns. A covered walkway, reached by internal stairways, ran around the circumference of each level, allowing access to the seating.
The basement area of the arena was discovered in 1904. It remains remarkably intact and gives a clear picture of how the arena would have functioned. Consisting of an area 65 metres long, it was divided into two vaulted galleries which contained cells and rooms for housing the wild beasts and gladiators who took part in the games.
The arena floor still has the openings which allowed wild animals to be raised and lowered from the cells below via a lift system. A removable strip also ran down the centre of the arena. This was the roof of the basement cells and was raised when the arena was not in use to air these otherwise confined areas.
The Fall of Thysdrus
It is possible that the arena was never finished as late in the second century AD, Thysdrus went into decline after its involvement in a rebellion against Imperial authority. The introduction of a new tax on olive oil production sparked widespread unrest across Tunisia, culminating in the murder of the Imperial procurator. Thysdrus was central to events. A local man, the 80 year old Gordian, was proclaimed emperor by the town’s citizens. Gordian’s reign was short-lived. After only a few weeks, he was killed in Tunis and replaced by Maxininus. The revolt was over and Thysdrus was sacked, never to recover its former status.
The Survival of the Amphitheatre of El Djem
The amphitheatre survived the fall of Thysdrus and the Roman Empire. It served as a fortress against the Arab invaders in the 5th century AD and during skirmishes between different Arab factions in the 7th century AD. It remained a complete structure until it was used to help construct the modern village of El Djem in the 17th century.
Despite its stone being robbed out and being attacked by the British during the Second World War when it served as a refuge for German soldiers, the amphitheatre still survives as a relatively complete structure with all three stories, complete with stairs and galleries, surviving on one side.
Restoration began between 1974 and 1980. Today, half the seating area has been reconstructed and the amphitheatre enjoys protection as a UNESCO Heritage site and the prestige of being one of Tunisia’s most visited attractions.
Sources.
Romana Africano Tunisia: 146BC_439AD. Ministere de la Culture
Tunisia-Michael Tomlinson
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/38/
http://www.planetware.com/tunisia/el-djem-tun-md-ed.htm
Amphitheatre of El Djem with arena strip
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corridors in the amphitheatre
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cell in the basement area
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