Mysteria
Amphitheatre of El Jem (Thysdrus)
Verified35.2964° N · 10.7064° E · 110 m

Amphitheatre of El Jem (Thysdrus)

Thysdrus Amphitheatre · Qasr al-Jem · El Djem

Roman Imperial (c.230–238 CE under Gordian I/II)·Roman (Africano)·🇹🇳 Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia

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Carole Raddato · CC BY-SA 2.0

About

About Amphitheatre of El Jem (Thysdrus)

Largest amphitheatre in Africa and third-largest in Roman world: olive-oil city Thysdrus (later Gordian revolt 238 CE) built c.238 CE, 149×124 m outer axes, 65×39 m arena, 35,000 capacity seating three storeys of arches, 3.5 m thick walls, subterranean hypogeum with wild-beast elevators perfectly preserved to vaults. Freestanding on plain without hillside support unlike Colosseum. Preservation rivalling Rome due to never quarried extensively (fortress use).

Why it mattersGreatest African amphitheatre; most intact underground hypogeum

Open questions

Mysteries & theories

Mysteries

  1. 01Whether amphitheatre unfinished due to Gordian revolt 238 collapse (Hanson)
  2. 02Comparison of 35,000 vs 30,000 capacity via modern load modeling

Theories

  1. 01Thysdrus wealth from olive oil funded over-ambitious arena overshadowing Carthage (Mattingly)
  2. 02Building material sandstone from 30 km quarry via oxcart

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

History

How it came to be

Built
c.230–238 CE (traditionally Gordian period)
Period
Roman Imperial (c.230–238 CE under Gordian I/II)
Culture
Roman (Africano)
Purpose
Gladiatorial arena and venatioes for provincial metropolis enriched by olive oil exports
Excavation
Excavated

  1. c.230–238 CE (traditionally Gordian period)

    Initial construction

  2. c. 1529 CE

    Abandonment

On the ground

Structures & features

35.2964° N · 10.7064° E · 110 m · 3 mapped features

Gallery

Photo

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