Amphitheatre of Mérida facts for kids
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Anfiteatro de Mérida
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| Location | Mérida (Badajoz), Spain |
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| Coordinates | 38°54′58.3″N 6°20′15.8″W / 38.916194°N 6.337722°W |
| Type | Roman amphitheatre |
| Official name: Amphitheatre | |
| Type: | Cultural |
| Criteria: | iii, iv |
| Designated: | 1993 (17th session) |
| Part of: | "Roman Theatre, Amphitheatre, the Amphitheatre House" part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida |
| Reference #: | 664-005 |
| Region: | Europe and North America |
| Official name: Anfiteatro Romano | |
| Type: | Non-movable |
| Criteria: | Monument |
| Designated: | 13 December 1912 |
| Reference #: | RI-51-0000108 |
The Amphitheatre of Mérida (Spanish: Anfiteatro de Mérida) is an ancient Roman building in Mérida, Spain. It's a ruined Roman amphitheatre, which means it was a big, oval-shaped arena.
The city of Mérida was once called Emerita Augusta by the Romans. It was started in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus. He built it for soldiers who had finished their time in the Roman army. These soldiers were called 'emeritus' because they had been honorably discharged. The amphitheatre was finished in 8 BC. Mérida became an important city, the capital of a Roman area called Lusitania.
Today, the amphitheatre is part of a bigger group of old Roman ruins in Mérida. This whole area is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in Spain. Because of its historical value, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1993.
History of the Amphitheatre
The Amphitheatre of Mérida opened in the year 8 BC. This huge building was made for exciting shows. People would gather to watch gladiators fight each other. They also watched fights between wild animals, or even between people and animals. These animal shows were called venationes.
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Amphitheatre of Mérida.
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A stone carving of gladiators found at the Amphitheatre of Mérida.
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The seating areas, or stands, of the Roman amphitheatre.
What the Amphitheatre Looked Like
The Amphitheatre of Mérida has an oval shape. It is about 126 meters (413 feet) long and 102 meters (335 feet) wide. The central area, called the arena, measures 64 meters (210 feet) by 44 meters (144 feet). This arena was covered with sand.
In the middle of the arena, there was a hidden ditch called a fossa bestiaria. This ditch was covered with wood and sand. It was used to hold wild animals before they were let out into the arena for the shows.
The design of the amphitheatre included a large seating area, or grandstand. This grandstand had three main levels: the ima cavea, media cavea, and summa cavea. The stands could hold about 15,000 people! There were stairs and hallways, called scalae, that helped people move around inside.
The ima cavea was the lowest seating area, closest to the action. It had special rows for important local leaders. There were also ten more rows for other members of the public. On both sides of the arena, there were two special stands. One was above the main entrance, and the other was directly across from it. Underneath these stands, there was a special stone carving. This carving helped historians figure out when the amphitheatre was built.
See also
In Spanish: Anfiteatro de Mérida para niños
