Durres Amphitheatre
The largest Roman amphitheatre in the Balkans, set in the old town of Durres with an early Christian chapel.
Built in the early second century AD, in the reign of Trajan, the elliptical amphitheatre of Dyrrachium is the largest known Roman example on the Balkan peninsula. Its seating banks were cut partly into the hillside inside the walled town, and ancient estimates of capacity range between fifteen and twenty thousand spectators. The arena was used for gladiatorial combat and other public spectacles before the structure fell out of use and was gradually built over.
The monument was rediscovered in 1966 by the archaeologist Vangjel Toci and has been excavated and consolidated in stages since, with Albanian and Italian teams working on the exposed masonry. Visitors follow walkways through the vaulted entrance corridors and part of the seating. Set into one of the galleries is a small paleochristian chapel of the fifth or sixth century, decorated with wall mosaics. The site appears on Albania's UNESCO tentative list.
Highlights
- Largest Roman amphitheatre known on the Balkan peninsula
- Paleochristian chapel with wall mosaics built into the seating galleries
- Vaulted entrance corridors and surviving tiers open to walk through
- Rediscovered in 1966 and still only partly excavated
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