Huge amphitheatre for gladiator fights dubbed Turkey s Colosseum unearthed in remote fig orchard
The site dates to around 200AD when the Roman Empire was ruled by the Severan dynasty
The amphitheatre was partly buried and hidden by groves of olive and fig trees
A Roman amphitheatre which would have hosted gladiator contests has been discovered in Turkey after lying hidden for centuries.
The huge site, similar in structure to the Colosseum in Rome, remained undetected because it is mostly buried underground.
The arena, which could seat around 20,000 spectators, was found near the ancient city of Mastaura in the western province of Aydin, inland from the Aegean coast.
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Update on Roman Gladiator Arena Discovered in Turkey
MASTAURA, TURKEY
Live Science reports that researchers have been investigating the site of a Roman amphitheater discovered in western Anatolia last summer. As many as 20,000 spectators could have been seated in the structure, which was found overgrown with shrubs and trees. Mehmet Umut Tuncer, provincial director of Aydin Culture and Tourism, and archaeologist Sedat Akkurnaz of Adnan Menderes University said their study of the site has revealed that the amphitheater was constructed with gladiator waiting rooms and entertainment rooms for private spectators around A.D. 200, when the city of Mastaura was very rich. People would have traveled from Aphrodisias, Ephesus, Magnesia, Miletus, and Priene to watch the bloody gladiator battles and wild animal fights held at the amphitheater, which is thought to have been the only one in the region, the researchers explained. The underground parts of the structure are well-preserved,
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