Roman amphitheatre discovered in Portugal

The confirmation of the existence of a new amphitheatre in the Roman city of Ammaia, located in the parish of São Salvador da Aramenha, in the municipality of Marvão, has been announced as part of an archaeological campaign with the participation of the Archaeology Centre of the University of Lisbon (UNIARQ) and the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon (FLUL).

Image of the geodetic geophysical exploration carried out by the Institute
of Arqueologia of Merida [Credit: Universidade de Lisboa]

The campaign of excavations, which began in June and runs until the end of this month, allowed the identification and confirmation of the existence of this Roman amphitheatre which is the fifth known in the entire province of Lusitania, after those of Mérida, Conímbriga, Bobadela (Oliveira do Hospital) and Caparra (Cáceres).

The archaeological work carried out over several weeks has made it possible to detect "one of the entrances and part of the seating structure of this Roman amphitheatre, which is about 60 metres long on its major axis, states the press release issued by the Cidade de Ammaia Foundation.

Entrance to the amphitheatre [Credit: Universidade de Lisboa]

The identification of this public building was carried out as part of the project "Lusitania: Investigación y Proyecto Arqueológico en la Ciudad Romana de Ammaia" which brings together the City of Ammaia Foundation and the Fundación de Estudios Romanos/Museo Nacional de Arte Romano (Spain), and with the participation of Lisbon University and support from the Municipality of Marvão.

The international project, which began in 2018, aimed this year to expand archaeological work in public spaces and "the area where it was assumed that the city's recreational buildings would be located has previously been geophysically surveyed, in collaboration with the Mérida Institute of Archaeology", the same statement said.

In association with the City of Ammaia Foundation, FLUL teachers and students and UNIARQ researchers have participated in various projects of investigation, conservation and enhancement of this Roman city which constitutes ithe most important archaeological vestige of its time in the northern region of Alentejo.

Source: Universidade de Lisboa [trsl. TANN, July 20, 2019]