About Merida Amphitheatre
Merida Amphitheatre is a reasonably well preserved Ancient Roman amphitheatre in the Spanish city of Merida.
The Emperor Augustus (63 BC – AD 14) established the Roman colony known as Augusta Emerita – later to become modern Merida – in 25 BC. Soon after its founding, Augusta Emerita became the capital of Lusitania and, as an important city of the empire, had several impressive public buildings. Merida Amphitheatre was one of these.
Completed in 8 BC and able to seat up to 15,000 spectators, this elliptical amphitheatre was finally abandoned in the fourth century AD. Today, the walls of Merida Amphitheatre are still intact together with some of its seats and it gateways, showing a detailed outline of what it would have looked like in its day.
Together with other sites, such as the Merida Roman Theatre and the Guadiana Bridge, Merida Amphitheatre is a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida.
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