The Archaeological park of Scolacium hosts the ruins of the ancient Greek City of Skilletion that became a Roman colony after the war against Hannibal, and assumed the name of Minervia Scolacium. Little remains of the pre-Roman settlement, while the structure of the Roman colony and rests of paved roads and aqueduct, of the thermal plant, the amphitheater and the theater are still visible. The theater lies on a natural hill slope and could seat about 5000 people. It was built during the 1st century AD, and was equipped with a new scene when the new colony was founded by Nerva.
In the same period, the town became a considerable monumental center with developed built-up areas. The theater was subject to successive renewals till the 4th century AD. Most materials discovered during digging campaigns come from the theater and include remarkable architectural fragments and sculpted groups. Close to the theater, rests of the amphitheater were found, whose construction dates back to Nerva times. The Park also hosts the Basilica of Santa Maria di Roccella, founded between the 11th and 12th centuries following the canons of the Romanic art with Byzantine and Arab influences.
References:The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls was part of the federal sanctuary of the three Gauls dedicated to the cult of Rome and Augustus celebrated by the 60 Gallic tribes when they gathered at Lugdunum (Lyon). The amphitheatre was built at the foot of the La Croix-Rousse hill at what was then the confluence of the Rhône and Saône.
Excavations have revealed a basement of three elliptical walls linked by cross-walls and a channel surrounding the oval central arena. The arena was slightly sloped, with the building"s south part supported by a now-vanished vault. The arena"s dimensions are 67,6m by 42m. This phase of the amphitheatre housed games which accompanied the imperial cult, with its low capacity (1,800 seats) being enough for delegations from the 60 Gallic tribes.
The amphitheatre was expanded at the start of the 2nd century. Two galleries were added around the old amphitheatre, raising its width from 25 metres to 105 metres and its capacity to about 20,000 seats. In so doing it made it a building open to the whole population of Lugdunum and its environs.