Roman amphitheatre of Italica facts for kids
View of the Roman amphitheatre of Italica.
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 Location in Spain
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| Location | Santiponce, in Andalusia, Spain. |
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| Coordinates | 37°26′38″N 6°02′48″W / 37.44389°N 6.04667°W |
| Type | Roman amphitheatre |
| History | |
| Founded | AD 117 and 138 |
| Periods | Roman Empire |
The Roman amphitheatre of Italica is an old, ruined building from the Roman Empire. It's located outside the ancient Roman city of Italica, about 300 meters from its northern entrance. Today, you can find it in Santiponce, a town in Andalusia, Spain, near the city of Seville.
This huge amphitheatre was built when Hadrian was the Roman emperor. Hadrian was actually born in Italica! Construction happened between the years 117 and 138 AD. It was one of the biggest amphitheatres in the entire Roman Empire. The city of Italica was mostly left empty by the Romans in the 3rd century. The amphitheatre was rediscovered much later, during the Renaissance in the 17th century. People started digging it up in the late 1800s. Now, it's a popular place for tourists to visit and learn about ancient Roman times.
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Exploring the Roman Amphitheatre
This amazing amphitheatre could hold about 25,000 people! It has an oval shape, measuring 160 meters (525 feet) long and 137 meters (449 feet) wide. It used to have three levels of seats for spectators. The first level is still mostly complete, the second is partly there, and the third is mostly in ruins.
What Was Under the Arena?
Underneath the old wooden floor of the arena (where the shows happened), there was a special pit. This pit was used for different events, like gladiatorial fights and battles against wild animals, called venatio. The building was made using strong pebbles, because there wasn't much natural stone in the area.
Where People Sat
The seating area, called the cavea, was split into three main parts. These parts were separated by circular walkways.
- The ima cavea was the lowest section. It had 6 rows of seats and 8 entrances. This area was reserved for the most important people, like the rulers and wealthy citizens.
- The media cavea was the middle section. It had 12 rows of seats and 14 entrances. This part was for the regular people, the humblest population.
- The summa cavea was the highest section. It was covered by a large awning to provide shade. This area was set aside just for children and women.
The amphitheatre also had special rooms where people worshipped Roman gods. There were rooms dedicated to Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, and Juno, the queen of the gods.
Images for kids
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Panoramic view of the amphitheatre from the arena.
See also
- List of Roman amphitheatres
- List of Roman sites in Spain
- In Spanish: Anfiteatro de Itálica para niños
