In ampitζatru Carthaginis: the Carthage amphitheatre and its uses

Abstract

The amphitheatre at Carthage lies on the W edge of the ancient city just south of the decumanus maximus as it heads inland (fig. 1). Modern investigation dates back to the late 19th c. when A.-L. Delattre spent several years (1894-96) excavating the building, but, apart from a handful of inscriptions and minor objects recovered, few details were ever published. In the decades following, parts of the amphitheatre were reconstructed but no further archaeological work was undertaken (fig. 2). It was not until the 1980s that a detailed study of the building was attempted, at which time not one but two important publications appeared, one by J.-Cl. Golvin, the other by D. L. Bomgardner. The building history is not known with much certainty, but Golvin and Bomgardner are generally in agreement on the following key points. It was originally built in the early 1st c. A.D. but was extensively rebuilt in the 2nd c., probably under the Antonines. At this time its capacity was nearly doubled and a new limestone façade added. A description of the façade by the 11th-c. Arab geographer al-Bakri mentions three levels of arcades embellished with engaged columns and with relief sculptures depicting ‘craftsmen, animals, and ships’.