Aquincum Military Amphitheatre

The Aquincum Military Amphitheatre is the greater of two amphitheatres in Budapest, Hungary, the other being the Aquincum Civil Amphitheatre. It is located in the Obuda district, just north near the Danube river. It was built around 145, during the reign of emperor Antoninus Pius. The outer walls of the stand have a longitudinal axis of 131.8 meters and a transverse axis of 108.4 meters. The size of the arena is 89.6 x 66.1 meters (larger than the Colosseum in Rome). Its huge size could be explained by the fact that it was also used for military exercises. This assumption is also proven by the fact that the spur walls of the fence wall, the arena and the substructure were constructed precisely.

Its shape is elliptical and it was formed in the place of a natural depression. According to the excavations, this hollow was used as a military training ground by the legion stationed in Aquincum from the 1st century.

Like the other amphitheaters in the Danube region, this one was also an earthen amphitheater. The auditorium was built on a mass of earth, with only twenty-four U-shaped wall sections and the podium wall built of stone.

The amphitheater could accommodate 10,000 to 13,000 spectators, and the auditorium could be accessed via a vaulted staircase. In addition to the remains of the spur walls and vaulted staircase systems, the inner wall surrounding the arena, originally 4 meters high, was also preserved, which protected the spectators from wild animals. In this stone wall there are 5 cells in which the animals could be kept. The niche at the northern gate is called porta Libitinae, the one on the eastern side may have been the sanctuary of Nemesis, who was the patron goddess of the amphitheater games. Altar stones with inscriptions were found there.

Source: Wikipedia