210km south of Tunis is El Djem, a modern Tunisian market town and home of the largest building in Roman Africa. This building is its second-century amphitheater, whose impressive remains preserve not only the seating areas but also the working features of the arena. The remains of the Amphitheatre of El Djem- or Thysdrus as it was then known, were a symbol of Roman power in North Africa- but also the prosperity achieved by the people in a relatively small provincial town.
Roman Thysdrus
Thysdrus was founded by the Romans in 46BC on the site of an original Punic settlement. The area was famed for the quantity and quality of its olives, which quickly led to the prosperity of the Thysdrus.
By the second century AD, the town had a population of 30,000 and was regarded as the leading center for olive oil in Roman North Africa. The corresponding increase in wealth and significance meant Thysdrus could instigate a programme of public and private building works. The amphitheater was one of these.
The Design of the Amphitheatre of El Djem
The amphitheater standing today replaced a smaller original structure that seated 8000 people. Built of red limestone, it was the third biggest amphitheater in the Roman world and would have seated 30,000 spectators. It dominated the skyline of Thysdrus, as it does that of modern El Djem.
The structure measured 149 meters long, 124 meters wide and 36 meters high and consisted of 3 stories. Each story consists of a series of arches formed from composite engaged columns, a Roman development combining elements of Corinthian and Ionic columns). An internal stairway leads to a covered walkway which, run around the circumference of each level allowing access to the seating.
The basement area of the arena was discovered in 1904. It remains remarkably intact and gives a clear picture of how the arena would have functioned. 65 meters long, it is divided into two vaulted galleries containing cells and rooms for housing the wild beasts and gladiators who took part in the games.
The arena floor still has the openings which allowed wild animals to be raised and lowered from these cells via a lift system. A removable strip also ran down the center of the arena. This was the roof of the basement cells and was raised when the arena was not in use to air these otherwise confined areas.
The Fall of Thysdrus
It is possible that the arena was never finished. In the third century AD, Thysdrus went into decline after its involvement in a rebellion against Imperial authority. The introduction of a new tax on olive oil production sparked widespread unrest across Tunisia, culminating in the murder of the Imperial procurator. Thysdrus was central to events. A local man, the 80-year-old Gordian, was proclaimed emperor by the town’s citizens. Gordian’s reign was short-lived. After only a few weeks, he was killed in Tunis and replaced by Maxininus. The revolt was over, and Thysdrus was sacked, never to recover its former status.
The Survival of the Amphitheatre of El Djem
The amphitheater survived the fall of Thysdrus and the Roman Empire. It served as a fortress against the Arab invaders in the 5th century AD and during skirmishes between different Arab factions in the 7th century AD. It remained a complete structure until it was used to help construct the modern village of El Djem in the 17th century.
Despite being robbed of its stone and attacked by the British during the Second World War when it served as a refuge for German soldiers, the amphitheater still survives as a relatively complete structure with all three stories, complete with stairs and galleries remaining intact on one side.
Restoration began between 1974 and 1980. Today, half the seating area has been reconstructed, and the amphitheater enjoys protection as a UNESCO Heritage site and the prestige of being one of Tunisia’s most visited attractions.
Resources.
Romana Africano Tunisia: 146BC_439AD. Ministere de la Culture
Tunisia-Michael Tomlinson
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/38/
http://www.planetware.com/tunisia/el-djem-tun-md-ed.htm
