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Flavian Amphitheater (Pozzuoli)
Encyclopedia
The Flavian Amphitheater (Anfiteatro flaviano puteolano), located in Pozzuoli
, is the third largest Roman
amphitheater in Italy
. Only the Roman Colosseum
and the Capuan Amphitheater are larger. It was likely built by the same architects who previously constructed the Roman Colosseum. The name Flavian Amphitheater is primarily associated with the Roman Colosseum.
It was begun under the reign of the emperor Vespasian
and probably finished under the reign of his son Titus
. The arena can hold up to 20,000 spectators. The interior is mostly intact and one can still see parts of gears which were used to lift cages up to the arena floor.
In the year 305
, the arena was the setting for the persecutions of the patron
of Pozzuoli, Saint Proculus
, and the patron saint of Naples, Saint Januarius
. After surviving being thrown to the wild beasts in the arena, the two were beheaded
at the nearby Solfatara
.
The elliptical structure measures 147 x 117 meters (482 x 384 feet), with the arena floor measuring 72.22 x 42.33 meters (237 x 139 feet).
The amphitheater can be visited by taking line number 2 of the Naples, Italy
subway, and getting off at the Pozzuoli stop.
The Flavian Amphitheater is the second of two Roman amphitheaters built in Pozzuoli. The smaller and older amphitheater (Anfiteatro minore) has been almost totally destroyed by the construction of the Rome to Naples railway line. Only a dozen arches of this earlier work still exist. This lesser amphitheater measured 130 x 95 meters (427 x 312 feet).
The site of the structure was chosen at the nearby crossing of roads from Naples
, Capua
and Cumae
. It was abandoned when it was partially buried by eruptions from the Solfatara volcano. It was during the medieval period that the marble used on the exterior was stripped. This had the fortunate result of leaving the interior alone and perfectly preserved. Excavations of the site were performed 1839 to 1845, 1880 to 1882, and finally in 1947.
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the province of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean peninsula.-History:Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of Dicaearchia...
, is the third largest Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
amphitheater in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Only the Roman Colosseum
Colosseum
The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
and the Capuan Amphitheater are larger. It was likely built by the same architects who previously constructed the Roman Colosseum. The name Flavian Amphitheater is primarily associated with the Roman Colosseum.
History
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and probably finished under the reign of his son Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
. The arena can hold up to 20,000 spectators. The interior is mostly intact and one can still see parts of gears which were used to lift cages up to the arena floor.
In the year 305
305
Year 305 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius...
, the arena was the setting for the persecutions of the patron
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Pozzuoli, Saint Proculus
Proculus of Pozzuoli
Saint Proculus of Pozzuoli was martyred around 305 AD, at the same time as Saint Januarius.He was martyred with:*Sossius or Sosius, deacon of Miseno *Festus, lector *Desiderius, lector *Acutius, layman *Eutyches , layman...
, and the patron saint of Naples, Saint Januarius
Januarius
Januarius, Bishop of Naples, is a martyr saint of the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, later sources and legends claim that he died during the Diocletianic Persecution, which ended with Diocletian's retirement in...
. After surviving being thrown to the wild beasts in the arena, the two were beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
at the nearby Solfatara
Solfatara (volcano)
Solfatara is a shallow volcanic crater at Pozzuoli, near Naples, part of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area. It is a dormant volcano, which still emits jets of steam with sulphurous fumes. The name comes from the Latin, Sulpha terra, "land of sulphur", or "sulfur earth"...
.
The elliptical structure measures 147 x 117 meters (482 x 384 feet), with the arena floor measuring 72.22 x 42.33 meters (237 x 139 feet).
The amphitheater can be visited by taking line number 2 of the Naples, Italy
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
subway, and getting off at the Pozzuoli stop.
The Flavian Amphitheater is the second of two Roman amphitheaters built in Pozzuoli. The smaller and older amphitheater (Anfiteatro minore) has been almost totally destroyed by the construction of the Rome to Naples railway line. Only a dozen arches of this earlier work still exist. This lesser amphitheater measured 130 x 95 meters (427 x 312 feet).
The site of the structure was chosen at the nearby crossing of roads from Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
and Cumae
Cumae
Cumae is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy , and the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl...
. It was abandoned when it was partially buried by eruptions from the Solfatara volcano. It was during the medieval period that the marble used on the exterior was stripped. This had the fortunate result of leaving the interior alone and perfectly preserved. Excavations of the site were performed 1839 to 1845, 1880 to 1882, and finally in 1947.