Roman Amphitheatre Ivrea: A First-Century Roman Arena
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 3.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Classical
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Classical
- Civilizations
- Roman
- Site type
- Entertainment
- Remains
- Amphitheatre
On this page6 sections
History
Roman Amphitheatre Ivrea is a Roman arena in Italy, built at Eporedia, the settlement that developed into modern Ivrea, in the mid-first century AD. Eporedia was a Roman colony, a settlement established or reorganized under Roman authority, and the amphitheatre stood along the road to Vercelli. It was designed to accommodate more than 10,000 spectators.
Construction at Eporedia
Building the amphitheatre involved the partial demolition of an earlier villa. Some of the villa’s masonry was incorporated into the new structure, linking the arena’s construction to an existing building on the site.
Excavation and interpretation
The remains became known in the early twentieth century. Systematic excavation took place from 1955 to 1964, followed by archaeological work on the adjacent villa in the early 1980s. This later investigation has reached several rooms of the villa and expanded understanding of the buildings that preceded or surrounded the amphitheatre.
Remains
The amphitheatre has an elliptical plan, with a major axis of 65 metres, and covers approximately 8,600 square metres. Sections of its perimeter walls survive. Entrances for spectators were positioned at the two ends of the major axis, organizing access to the seating area and arena.
Arena and underground circulation
At the centre of the arena, an underground chamber connected by a corridor to service areas beneath the cavea, the spectator-seating area, supported the movement of stage equipment and animals. Another passage allowed gladiators and animals to move directly from the seating area to the arena’s centre. The raised barrier bordering the arena, known as the podium, was decorated with studded bronze plates.
Archaeological finds
Excavation produced traces of wall decoration, coins, pottery, and fragments of statues. Some of these finds are displayed in the Pier Alessandro Garda Civic Museum in Ivrea, where they help preserve material evidence from the amphitheatre and the adjacent villa.
