Anfiteatro repubblicano

Dated between 130 and 90 BC, the Republican Amphitheatre of ancient Capua is considered probably the first Roman amphitheatre built in masonry. It lies beside the later Campanian Amphitheatre, linking the city's monuments with the gladiatorial world of Spartacus.

Why it matters

The Republican arena belongs to an early phase in the development of Roman amphitheatre architecture. It is dated between 130 and 90 BC and is considered probably the first Roman amphitheatre built in masonry. The monument is also associated with the gladiatorial school at Capua: in 73 BC Spartacus and fellow gladiators escaped from the city, beginning a revolt that spread across Italy.

What to notice

The older arena lies within the same complex as the later Campanian Amphitheatre. Nearby remains include an octagonal building from the imperial period and the curved portico that framed the entrance front of the larger amphitheatre. Together, these structures show how the entertainment quarter developed around the successive arenas.

Context and history

Capua was one of Italy’s wealthiest cities in the second century BC, and its gladiatorial school became the setting for the uprising led by Spartacus in 73 BC. In 49 BC, Julius Caesar established a new gladiatorial school at Capua. During the Flavian age, the imperial amphitheatre rose beside the older Republican arena. The medieval town later grew over the ancient quarter, and both amphitheatres now form part of the archaeological heritage of ancient Capua.