Historic site
Durres Amphitheatre
88 locals recommend
Location
Rruga Kalase
Durrës, Durrës County
Tips from locals
The Amphitheatre of Durrës (Albanian: Amfiteatri i Durrësit; Latin: Amphitheatrum Dyrrhachinum) is a Roman amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Durrës, Albania. Construction began under the emperor Trajan[citation needed] in the 2nd century AD and it was destroyed twice by earthquakes in the 6th and 10th centuries.[1] It is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Balkan Peninsula with once having a capacity of 20,000 people.[2][3]
The Amphitheatre of Durrës (Albanian: Amfiteatri i Durrësit; Latin: Amphitheatrum Dyrrhachinum) is a Roman amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Durrës, Albania. Construction began under the emperor Trajan[citation needed] in the 2nd century AD and it was destroyed twice by earthquakes in the 6t…
The Epidamnus Amphitheatre is supposed to be built around 300 BC and it was used like an entertainment arena and for Gladiators fights till late Bizantine era. It is discovered accidentally by locals and the escavation started immediately in 1964.
The Amphitheater of Durrës remains one of the most majestic of the ancient world and one of ten most beautiful Roman amphitheaters. Widely recognized among enthusiasts of Antiquity, it is a pearl of the Balkans that is slowly making its way out of the shell. Discovered relatively recently, in 1966, its unearthing occurred in a slightly comical way by Vangjel Toçi. Legend has it that Vangjel, an archaeologist and resident of Durrës, happened upon a fig tree which had fallen a few meters below ground level. Curious and inquisitive, he insisted that the area undergo excavations. Rightly so, for underneath was lying the long sought-after Amphitheater. Began under the Roman Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century AD, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Balkan Peninsula (once having a capacity of some 15,000 to 20,000 people) showing the wealth and power Dyrrachium once possessed. Inside the Amphitheatre are some attractive paleochristian mosaics (dating from the 6th Century) housed in an early Christian chapel.
The Amphitheater of Durrës remains one of the most majestic of the ancient world and one of ten most beautiful Roman amphitheaters. Widely recognized among enthusiasts of Antiquity, it is a pearl of the Balkans that is slowly making its way out of the shell. Discovered relatively recently, in 1966,…