The
Pula Arena is the name of the amphitheatre located in Pula
, Croatia
. The
Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side
towers and with all three Roman
architectural orders entirely preserved. It
was constructed in 27 BC - 68 AD and is among the six largest
surviving Roman arenas in the World. A rare example among the 200
Roman surviving amphitheatres of unique technological solutions. It
is also the best preserved
ancient
monument in Croatia.
The Arena in Pula.
The amphitheatre is depicted on the
reverse of the Croatian 10
kuna banknote, issued in 1993, 1995, 2001 and
2004.
Description
The exterior wall is constructed in
limestone. The part facing the sea consists of
three stories, while the other part has only two stories since the
amphitheatre was built on a slope. The maximum height of the
exterior wall is . The first two floors have each 72 arches, while
the top floor consists of 64 rectangular openings.
The axes of the elliptical amphitheatre are long, and the walls
stand high. It could accommodate 23,000 spectators in the
cavea, which had forty steps divided into two
meniani. The seats rest directly on the sloping ground;
The field for the games, the proper
arena, measured .
The field
was separated from the public by iron gates
.
The arena had a total of 15 gates. A series of underground
passageways were built underneath the arena along the main axis
from which animals,
ludi scenes and
fighters could be released; stores and shops were located under the
raked seating. The amphitheatre was part of the circuit of the
gladiators.
Each of the four towers had two
cisterns
filled with perfumed water that fed a fountain or could be
sprinkled on the spectators. The amphitheatre could be covered with
velarii (large sails) , protecting the spectators from sun
or rain (as attested by rare construction elements).
This amphitheatre, through its remarkable conservation, has served
as an excellent example for the study of ancient building
techniques.
History
View of the harbour through Pula
Arena.
The Arena
was built between 27 BC - 68 AD, as the city of Pula became a
regional centre of Roman rule, called Pietas Julia. The name was derived from the
sand that, since antiquity, covered the inner space.
It was
built outside the town walls along the Via Flavia, the
road from Pula to Aquileia
and Rome
.
The amphitheatre was first built in timber during the reign of
Augustus (2-14 AD). It was replaced by a
small stone amphitheatre during the reign of emperor
Claudius. In
79 AD it was
enlarged to accommodate gladiator fights by
Vespasian and to be completed in
81
AD under emperor
Titus. This was confirmed
by the discovery of a
Vespasian coin in
the malting.
St. Germanus was martyred here
in the year 284. The amphitheatre remained in use until the
5th century, when emperor
Honorius prohibited
gladiatorial combats. It was not until 681 that
combat between convicts, particularly those
sentenced to death, and
wild animals was forbidden.
In the
5th century the amphitheatre
began to see its stone plundered by the local populace.
By the
13th century, the patriarch of Aquileia forbade
further removal from the Arena.
In the
Middle Ages the interior of the
Arena was used for grazing, tournaments by the
Knights of Malta and fairs.
In 1583 the Venetian
Senate
proposed dismantling the Arena and rebuilding it
within Venice
. The
proposals did not come to fruition and today, a headstone
celebrating the Venetian senator Gabriele Emo opposition to the
plan is currently visible on the second tower. The last time the
Arena was used as a source of stone was in 1709 for the foundations
of the
belfry of the city's
Cathedral.
General Marmont, the French governor of the
Illyrian Provinces started the
restoration of the arena.
This was continued in 1816 by the Ticinese
architect
Pietro Nobile, commissioned by the
emperor Francis I of
Austria.
In 1932, it was adapted for theatre productions, military
ceremonies and public meetings. In its present state it still seats
some 5,000 spectators.
In modern times arena was venue to many concerts, including
Luciano Pavarotti,
Andrea Bocelli,
Jose Carreras,
Dino Merlin,
Jamiroquai,
Anastacia,
Eros Ramazzoti,
Maksim Mrvica,
Norah
Jones,
Zucchero,
Zdravko Čolić,
Sinead O'Connor,
Elton John,
Michael
Bolton,
Il Divo.
See also
References
- Turner, J., Grove
Dictionary of Art, Oxford University Press, USA. New Ed
edition, January 2, 1996. ISBN 0-19-517068-7.
- Mlakar, Stefan, The Amphitheatre in Pula, The Archaeological Museum of
Istra, 1957.
Notes
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