Trier Amphitheater

Trier Amphitheater
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Part of	Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier
Criteria	Cultural: (i), (iii), (iv), (vi)
Reference	367-001
Inscription	1986 (10th Session)
Coordinates	49°44′53″N 6°38′57″E / 49.748086°N 6.649054°E
	Location of Trier Amphitheater in Germany Trier Amphitheater (Rhineland-Palatinate)

It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site as a testimony to the importance of Trier as a major Roman city north of the Alps.

200m
220yds

Trier Amphitheater

History

Trier and its amphitheatre resembled many Roman cities of its time in that many infamous gladiatorial contests occurred there. The structure which was dug into the side of a hill was erected around the 2nd century A.D during the rule of Antoninus Pius. Measuring 120 by 145 meters, the amphitheatre could accommodate approximately 20,000 spectators and is the 10th largest Roman amphitheatre still intact. It was built into what was at the time the city's wall, to the east of the modern and Roman city centre. When Constantius Chlorus moved to Trier, Germany around 293 during the Tetrarchy he renovated the amphitheater.

Usage

The multiple usages of the arena included gladiator events and animal shows in which a cellar under the arena was utilized to store the animals and sentence prisoners to death. Remnants of wood and 1200 coins from the late 3rd century onward have been found in the cellar, suggesting that the cellar and other subterranean galleries were built after the original amphitheatre. On the eastern bank of the amphitheatre, a small burial ground was discovered in 1996, containing the graves of 46 people. Today, the amphitheatre is used for simulated gladiator fights and performances.