Amphitheater, Pompei

The Amphitheater of Pompeii, built around 70 BC, is the oldest surviving Roman amphitheater and one of the earliest known stone arenas in the Roman world. Originally known as the Spectacula, it was funded by two wealthy local officials, Quinctius Valgus and Marcius Porcius, after Pompeii became a Roman colony. With room for roughly 20,000 spectators, it could hold more people than the city itself.

Walk forward from the perimeter gates into the main body of the structure to find the centre of the arena floor. Here, ancient architects dug directly into the ground to form the central performance space. Historic accounts describe the arena as the site of fierce gladiator fights, ceremonies, animal hunts, and athletic contests. Unlike later Roman amphitheaters, it lacked elaborate underground trapdoors and service corridors.

For the next highlight, exit the interior and go around the outside of the building to the massive support walls along the western and eastern perimeters. Built directly into the outer support structures are the double-tiered external staircases. Their symmetrical stone steps, supported by heavy stone arches, allowed thousands of ordinary citizens to ascend directly to the highest seating rows without bottlenecking. The stonework here is a beautifully preserved example of practical Republican-era construction.

While the original gladiator frescoes that once decorated the interior parapet wall flaked away shortly after their discovery in 1815, detailed artist sketches recorded their appearance. Meanwhile, a famous separate fresco depicting the infamous stadium riot of AD 59—when a violent brawl between Pompeians and visitors from nearby Nuceria led Rome to ban gladiator games for several years—is preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Last but not least, the primary stone tunnel housed in the surviving lower walls is also worth seeing. As you enter the amphitheater grounds through the massive stone archway of the outer defensive wall, look to your right to find the Crypta Main Entrance Vault. This was the official gateway into the arena and the path through which gladiators entered before a match.