Roman gladiator arena in Switzerland? Archaeologists find a much smaller version of the Colosseum far from Rome

Twelve miles east of Basel, Switzerland, is located the oldest known Roman settlement on the Rhine River, Augusta Raurica, making it an important archaeological site. Several structures have been unearthed in the area, but one that came to light in December 2021 caught the attention of researchers.

While building a new boathouse next to the Rhine River for the Basel Rowing Club, workers stumbled across an ancient Roman amphitheater where spectators would have watched gladiator and animal fights, as well as chariot races. Finding one of these structures was not so much of a surprise, so far eight Roman amphitheaters have been discovered in Switzerland, this is the third in Augusta Raurica, but when it was built made the discovery important.

Petite version of Rome’s Colosseum

The Roman amphitheater in Augusta Raurica is believed to have been built in the fourth century A.D., which would make it the youngest one discovered according to Jakob Baerlocher, the lead archaeologist at the site. The dating of its construction is based on a coin unearthed that dates to between 337 and 341 A.D.

Other clues that indicate that it was built at that time include the building materials like the stone blocks employed and the mortar. Baerlocher told Live Science that these are “reminiscent of that of the late antique fort wall.”

This latest amphitheater discovered in Augusta Raurica is located in an abandoned Roman quarry. It had been in use until late antiquity, which also indicated when it was built. The oval-shaped structure measures roughly 164 feet long by 131 feet wide. That is quite a bit smaller than the Colosseum in Rome which had seating capacity for 50,000 people and measures roughly 600 feet by 500 feet.

South of the amphitheater archaeologists discovered a large gate that was flanked by two entrances. The threshold of another entrance was made of large sandstone blocks. Inside the stadium, the walls were plastered and there were signs of wooden grandstands for spectators as well as a wooden post for where a Roman tribune, or official, would have sat.

“All the evidence together—the oval, the entrances and the post placement for a tribune—speak for the interpretation as an amphitheater,” according a statement by the Canton of Aargau Department of Education, Culture and Sport, which oversees the site.

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