Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Self-Guided Tour:
Go inside and explore the interior, climbing up the seats as you
like. An “amphi-theater” is literally a “double theater”—imagine two theaters, without the
back wall behind the stage, stuck together to maximize seating. Pula's amphitheater was
builtoverseveraldecades(firstcentury
A.D.
)underthereignofthreeofRome'stop-tierem-
perors:Augustus,Claudius,andVespasian.Itwascompletedaround
A.D.
80,aboutthesame
time as the Colosseum in Rome. It remained in active use until the beginning of the fifth
century, when gladiator battles were outlawed. The location is unusual but sensible: It was
built just outside town (too big for tiny Pula, with just 5,000 people) and near the sea (so
its giant limestone blocks could be transported here more easily from the quarry six miles
away).
Notice that the amphitheater is built into the gentle incline of a hill. This economical
plan, unusual forRoman amphitheaters, saved onthe amount ofstone needed, andprovided
anaturalfoundationforsomeoftheseats(noticehowtheupperseatsincorporatetheslope).
Itmayseemlikethearchitectswerecuttingcorners,buttheyactuallyhadtoraisetheground
level at the lower end of the amphitheater to give it a level foundation. The four rectan-
gular towers anchoring the amphitheater's facade are also unique (two of them are mostly
gone). These once held wooden staircases for loading and unloading the amphitheater more
quickly—like the massive corkscrew ramps in many modern stadiums. At the top of each
towerwasawaterreservoir,usedforpoweringfountainsthatsprayedrefreshingscentsover
the crowd to mask the stench of blood.
