Durrës Roman Amphitheatre

Durrës, Albania

The Amphitheatre of Durrës was built in the beginning of the 2nd century AD. It was used for performances until the 4th century AD. The earthquake of 345/346 likely damaged the monument and closed it. An early Christian chapel was constructed on the amphitheatre in the second half of the 4th century. The chapel was initially decorated with frescoes; in the 6th century, mosaics were added. A medieval chapel was built in the 13th century, also decorated with frescoes. The amphitheatre was covered over in the 16th century, after the Ottoman occupation, when the wall was built nearby. In 2004 the University of Parma started restoration work to save the monument.

The amphitheatre has an elliptical shape with axes of 132 metres and 113 metres. It is built on a slope of the hill, and inside the amphitheatre there are staircases and galleries at different levels. The chapel with mosaics is preserved. The site currently functions as a museum.

It is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Balkan Peninsula with once having a capacity of 20,000 people. The amphitheatre is included on the tentative list of Albania for inscribing it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Rruga Dok Margariti 25, Durrës, Albania
See all sites in Durrës

Details

Founded: 2nd century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Albania

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Durrës Fortitied Old Town (0,3 km)
Durrës Roman Baths (0,3 km)
Durrës Archaeological Museum (0,4 km)
Basilica of Saint Michael Ruins (5,2 km)


Skanderbeg Square (31,2 km)
Et'hem Bey Mosque (31,3 km)
National Museum of History (31,1 km)
Krujë Castle (36,4 km)
Tirana Castle Ruins (31,5 km)
Kapllan Pasha Tomb (31,5 km)
Ardenica Monastery (56,3 km)
Petrelë Castle (34,8 km)
Tirana Mosaic (30,1 km)

User Reviews

Lisa Petersen (14 months ago)
In easy reach of the town centre.
Jamie Hay (15 months ago)
Interesting site. While the amphitheatre is not in a great state of preservation, there is a bit of wandering in the tunnels under the seating you can do, which will lead you to a little byzantine chapel with some wall decorations.
Jakobus Augustus (15 months ago)
I visited off season and it seemed very neglected. It is still interesting and well preserved. It is worth a visit if you are in Durrës.
David Dalrymple (15 months ago)
Great! You can explore all over it. And it will make you feel like you are one of the gladiators.
mr julian (17 months ago)
This "one of a kind" amphitheatre in Albania should not be like this. It took only 2 years and a half for the Dictator with the lead of Professor Toci to unearth and remove around 100 houses occupying the arena during 1966.....and it took 29 years of the modern era, to remove only 3 houses among lots of remaining ones...and do nothing for this romanian masterpiece.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal
Photo from Flickr, copyright Starmetal74

Historic Site of the week

Soave Castle

Soave castle was built in 934 to protect the area against the Hungarian invasions. It was remodelled by Cansignorio of the Scaliger family in the mid-1300s. in 1365 Cansignorio had the town walls erected and the Town hall was built in the same year.

The castle underwent various vicissitudes until, having lost its strategic importance, it was sold on the private market in 1596. In 1830 it was inherited by Giulio Camuzzoni who restored the manor and in particular the surroundings walls (with is twenty-four towers), the battlements and living-quarters.

Soave castle is a typical medieval military edifice, commanding the neighbourhood of the city from the Tenda Hill. It comprises a mastio (donjon) and three lines of walls forming three courts of different size. The outer line, with a gate and a draw bridge, is the most recent, built by the Venetians in the 15th century. It houses the remains of a small church from the 10th century.

The second and larger court, the first of the original castle, is called della Madonna for a fresco portraying St. Mary (1321). Another fresco is visible after the door leading to the inner court, and portrays a Scaliger soldier. The mastio is the most impressive feature of the castle. Bones found within showed it was used also as prison and place of torture.

The House called del Capitano (the Scaliger commander) houses Roman coins, weapons parts, medals and other ancient remains found during the most recent restoration. Adjacent is a bedroom with a 13th-century fresco with St. Mary and Madeleine and a dining room with medieval kitchenware. Another room houses the portraits of the most famous Scaliger figures: Mastino I, Cangrande, Cansignorio and Taddea da Carrara, wife of Mastino II; the portrait of Dante Alighieri testify an alleged sojourn of the poet in the castle.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.