Chester Roman Amphitheatre facts for kids
The amphitheatre seen from the city walls, with archaeological digs in progress (2006)
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 Location in England
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| Location | Chester, Cheshire, England |
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| Region | Brittania |
| Coordinates | 53°11′21″N 2°53′13″W / 53.18917°N 2.88694°W |
| Type | Amphitheatre |
| Part of | Deva Victrix |
| Length | 320 feet (98 m) |
| Width | 286 feet (87 m) |
| Area | 91,520 square feet (0.85 ha) |
| Height | 40 feet (12 m) |
| History | |
| Founded | Late 70's |
| Abandoned | Around 350 |
| Periods | Roman Empire |
| Site notes | |
| Management | English Heritage |
| Website | Chester Roman Amphitheatre |
The Chester Amphitheatre is a large Roman amphitheatre located in Chester, Cheshire, England. It is managed by English Heritage, a group that looks after historic places. This ancient site is very important, so it's protected as a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.
The parts of the amphitheatre you can see today are the remains of a huge stone structure. It's like the amphitheatres found in other parts of Europe. For a long time, people thought there was a smaller wooden amphitheatre here first. But digs since 1999 show that the wooden parts were actually the base for the seating.
Only the northern half of the amphitheatre is visible now. The southern half is still hidden under modern buildings. This amphitheatre is the biggest one found in Britain so far. It was built in the 1st century, when the Roman fort of Deva Victrix was first set up.
Many people used to think this amphitheatre was mainly for military training. However, discoveries from the excavations tell a different story. It was used for exciting events like cock fighting, bull baiting, and other combat sports. These included boxing, wrestling, and most importantly, gladiatorial combat.
The amphitheatre was used for most of the time the Romans were in Britain. But it fell out of use around the year 350. It was only rediscovered in 1929 when a wall was found during construction work. From 2000 to 2006, more digging took place to uncover this amazing piece of history.
Contents
Building the Roman Amphitheatre
The first amphitheatre here was likely a simple one. It was built by a Roman army group called Legio II Adiutrix in the late 70s. But another group, Legio XX Valeria Victrix, soon rebuilt it. This happened after Legio II Adiutrix moved to the Danube region in 86 AD.
This second amphitheatre wasn't used for a while when Legio XX went to build Hadrian's Wall. When they came back around 275 AD, the amphitheatre was rebuilt again.
The newest structure was a huge stone ellipse, about 40 feet (12 m) high. It measured 320 feet (98 m) long and 286 feet (87 m) wide. The longer side of the ellipse pointed roughly north-south. There were exits at all four main directions. Like most Roman forts of that time, the amphitheatre was placed at the southeast corner of the fort.
This amphitheatre was big enough to seat 8,000 people! Around it, there was a large area with dungeons, stables, and food stands. These were all built to support the contests. A special shrine to Nemesis, the goddess of fairness and revenge, was built at the north entrance. Because this amphitheatre was so large and well-developed, some historians think Chester might have become the capital of Roman Britain if the Romans had managed to conquer Ireland.
What Happened After the Romans Left?
After the Romans left Britain, the amphitheatre was left to fall apart. People took stones from the site to use for other buildings. This left only a small dip in the ground. This dip was sometimes used for animal fights and public punishments. Over time, it filled up completely with dirt and rubbish.
Later, during the Georgian era, houses were built over the site. A complex of houses called "Dee House" covered the south end. A Georgian townhouse called "St. John's House" was built over the north end. Even though records of the amphitheatre were lost, the uneven ground where it was buried stopped roads from being built through the site. This helped to keep the underground remains safe, allowing them to be dug up later without needing to knock down many buildings.
Rediscovering the Amphitheatre
People had guessed for years that an amphitheatre existed in Chester. But the first real proof came in 1929. Gardeners at Dee House found a long curved wall. More digging showed that a lot of the structure was still there underground. However, the amphitheatre site was covered by buildings. It was also in the way of a new road that was being planned.
The Chester Archaeological Society decided to raise money to change the road's path and dig up the arena. Things moved slowly at first. The council wouldn't change the road unless enough money was raised to pay for knocking down buildings. It wasn't until 1933 that the road route was finally changed. To help pay for the digs, the Society bought St. John's House. They then leased it to the council to fund the excavation. The dig was planned for 1939, but it was put off because World War II started.
Work began again in 1957. The council moved out of St. John's House. The Ministry of Works offered a lot of money to help with the digging. Since Dee House was still being used, only the northern half could be dug up. A small area was uncovered, and the rest was made into a park for a short time. This park was soon removed for more digging. The damaged walls were removed and marked with concrete. The arena wall was held up with concrete panels.
 Arena |
| The location of the amphitheatre within Chester, showing the curved road that surrounds the perimeter. |
The amphitheatre stayed like this until 2000. That's when more archaeological work started. They found remains of even older Roman buildings on the site. They also found cooked animal bones and cheap Roman pots with pictures of gladiator fights. This made some historians think that this was one of the first places to sell souvenirs to spectators.
The amphitheatre's location near the river is very valuable. The Cheshire County Council bought land south of the exposed area for Chester's new County Court. The court's northern part and car park were built over the southwestern corner of the arena. Even though the council said the court would cover as little of the arena as possible, many people were unhappy. This was especially true after the council had supported digging projects before. In 2007, the southern half of the amphitheatre was still covered by Dee House and the County Court.
The Chester Amphitheatre Project
In January 2004, Chester City Council and English Heritage started the Chester Amphitheatre Project. Their goals were to survey the site again, open a research center, and host a big conference in 2007. From 2004 to 2006, the survey looked at three main areas:
- Area A: The northwest part of the seating area, partly dug up in the 1960s.
- Area B: South of the eastern entrance, an area that hadn't been dug up before.
- Area C: The center of the arena, which was also untouched.
This work was even shown on a BBC Four TV show called Timewatch. The survey showed something new. Contrary to what was thought in the 1960s, the original amphitheatre was not built of wood. Instead, two separate stone amphitheatres had been built. Around 200 AD, the amphitheatre seemed to have been largely rebuilt. This doubled its seating capacity. A huge new outer wall was built, with very deep foundations.
Discoveries from the dig included a coin from the time of Vespasian. They also found a Gladius hilt (part of a Roman sword) and Samian ware pottery. This pottery had pictures of hunting and battles.
After more discoveries in 2010, some writers suggested that the amphitheatre was the inspiration for King Arthur's Round Table. However, English Heritage, who advised a History Channel documentary about this claim, said there was no archaeological proof for it.
Amphitheatre Mural: A Glimpse into the Past
In August 2010, a special painting called a trompe-l'œil mural was created. Chester Renaissance asked for it to be made. This mural helps visitors imagine what a complete amphitheatre looked like. It also shows how the original structure might have appeared. Archaeologists gave artist Gary Drostle advice on how it was built and what artifacts were found.
The artist designed the painting to cover a 50 meter long wall. It starts by continuing the edges of the current amphitheatre. Then, it smoothly blends into a recreation of the original walls and seating. The painted oval of the sand-covered ground and the central stone for tying things up make you feel like you are really inside the amphitheatre. Details like the red, marble-covered arena wall, the position of the doorways, and the outside walls were all carefully recreated based on evidence.
The mural took over 6 weeks to finish. Two tall scaffolding towers and five painters worked on it. People and tourist groups could watch the painting as it progressed. They could also talk to the artist and his helpers. The British weather sometimes decided their working hours!
This mural will be a permanent part of the amphitheatre. The artist used special paints called Keim Mineral Paints. These paints were invented in 1878. They are made of a liquid silicate binder with natural colors. When painted on stone, the binder soaks in and forms a strong structure. This structure lets the wall breathe but stops rain from getting in.
See also
- List of Scheduled Monuments in Cheshire dated to before 1066
- List of Roman amphitheatres
