five The Arena

On the fringes of their cities large and small the Romans built amphitheaters. Since Carthage was one of the major cities of the empire, its amphitheater was suitably grand. It was built in the early second century and underwent major reconstruction in the 160s. The external dimensions are estimated at 512 by 420 feet, with an arena area measuring about 212 by 209 feet (slightly shorter but wider than an American football field). It could have held about thirty thousand spectators. ¹ This building was second only to the Colosseum in Rome, which had external dimensions of about 603 by 512 feet. ²