Amphitheater of Durrës

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Auditorium of the amphitheater with the chapel in the foreground, urban development behind

The Amphitheater of Durrës ( Albanian  Amfiteatri i Durrësit ) is an ancient amphitheater in the city of Durrës in today's Albania . It offered space for at least 16,000, but maybe even 23,000 spectators, making it the largest Roman amphitheater on the Balkan Peninsula . It was built in the 2nd century.

investment

The amphitheater in the middle of the houses of Durrës

The amphitheater is located on the southwestern edge of the historic old town of Durrës not far from the southwestern tip of the peninsula that forms the city's port. The elliptical structure is located on the slopes of a hill rising to the west and north, just inside the city walls. The diameter of the building is 118–132 meters and 98–113 meters, depending on the source, while those of the arena are around 61 meters and 40–42 meters. The amphitheater rose about 20 meters up the hill in the west. In the south, the free-standing tiers were built on substructures .

The elliptical structure has a north-south axis. The main access for the gladiators and animals to the arena through the hill is in the north of the arena and is made possible by an adjoining tunnel that is up to new meters high. The southern entrance deviates slightly from the axis. The amphitheater has several atypical structural features. Access was from above in the north. In Durrës there was only one circumferential gallery ( Maenianum ), and the vomitoria (exits from the aisles to the rows of seats) were irregularly distributed - only the most necessary passages were cut into the rock.

Excavations on the southwestern edge of the site

The entire amphitheater has not yet been excavated. The arena is still partially filled with rubble, and its floor is now below the water table . In the south-eastern area of ​​the area there were houses for a long time that have since been expropriated and demolished. Thanks to the installation of stairs and safety measures, the facility is now easily accessible to tourists.

history

Already in the 7th century BC The city was founded as Epidamnos by the Greeks . Under Roman rule it was called Dyrrachium. Guntram Koch explains the construction of an amphitheater in the Hellenistic part of the Roman Empire with the many veterans who had been settled in Dyrrachium under Augustus . The city was a center of Roman culture in the region. The amphitheater was probably built in the first half of the 2nd century under Emperor Hadrian . Other historians suspect that it was created a little earlier under Trajan , when a library was also built in Dyrrachium . An inscription ( CIL III, (1) 607) mentions that on the occasion of its opening, twelve pairs of gladiators fought against each other during games.

"The amphitheater is the most striking ancient building and bears witness to the economic, population and 'cultural' importance of the Roman port city."

- Christian Zindel : archeology and art guide

The end of the use of the amphitheater could be due to a severe earthquake in 345/346 or an edict of the emperor Theodosius , which ordered the closure of all pagan cultural sites.

Destroyed rows of seats and chapel

Around the year 500 the massive structure was integrated into the defenses of Durrës. The former amphitheater was probably used as a cemetery from the 7th century : the dead were buried in the arena and in the corridors. In this context, three early Christian chapels were built in the aisles under the rows of seats between the 9th and 11th centuries , but one of them has hardly survived. Crosses were set up and individual cells were used as an ossuary .

In late antiquity, the amphitheater was misused and severely damaged as a quarry or source of building material. For example, all the stone seats were removed; today only the mortar substructure can be seen. The division of the Roman Empire in 395 also caused an economic decline in Durrës, favoring the reuse of building materials from the amphitheater.

Marin Barleti mentioned the building in a script from the early 16th century. The site was then completely built over, including some of the still standing ancient masonry. The course of the streets also followed the layout of the building. The British archaeologist Arthur Evans is said to have searched unsuccessfully for the amphitheater in 1877.

The amphitheater was discovered by chance during construction work in 1966 and subsequently partially excavated. In 1973 the archaeological site was declared a national cultural monument. Further excavations followed. In 2004 the University of Parma started a program to restore the amphitheater.

chapel

Mosaics on the south and west walls of the chapel

The historically most significant chapel was built directly under the honorary box ( pulvinar ) in the western part of the amphitheater. It is adorned with ornate frescoes and rare wall mosaics . It is in a small room that has hardly been changed; it is around six meters long and - narrowing to the east - three to two meters wide. An apse with two tall, narrow windows was added to the east, jutting out into the arena. In this converted area, the room was significantly higher than in the rear area with the mosaics. Opus mixtum made of reused stones and bricks was used as building material for new walls and the floor .

The chapel is mostly dated to the 6th century, but more recent research refers to the 11th century. It was used until the beginning of the 13th century; According to other sources, however, there is only archaeological evidence of use until the 11th century. Probably because of the rising groundwater level, a higher ground was drawn in later and a new altar was erected. A basin was found in the adjacent room to the north, possibly a baptismal font . Access was through the nearest vomitorium in the north, the stone steps of which show much more signs of wear than the others.

The heavily damaged mosaics on the back wall show Maria , Sophia (wisdom) and Eirene (peace) , among others , and testify to a sometimes pagan world of ideas. The mosaics on the south wall are in good condition and show angels, saints, Mary and donors as well as inscriptions. The mosaics were later placed over older wall paintings. A ceiling painting showed the pantocrator .

"These three mosaic figures state outwards in such a way that the oberserver can make contact with their eyes and the figures themselves seems less remote."

"These three mosaic figures stand out due to their design, so that the viewer can make eye contact with them and the figures appear closer."

- Lida Miraj : Art & Trashëgimi

Danger

In 2013, the Europa Nostra organization counted the amphitheater among the most endangered cultural sites in Europe. There is a risk of damage from water seepage, erosion , buildings in the immediate vicinity and poor conservation.

literature

  • Pedro Ponce de Leon: Seven Most Endangered Heritage Sites. Roman Amphitheater, Droughts, Albania . Technical report funded by a grant from the Council of Europe Development Bank through its Spanish Social Cohesion Account. Ed .: Europe Development Bank. The Hague December 2013 ( europanostra.org [PDF; accessed August 18, 2018]).
  • Helmut Buschhausen: Durazzo and the beginnings of Christianity in Albania . In: Walter Raunig (Ed.): Albania. Wealth and diversity of ancient culture . State Museum for Ethnology Munich, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-9807561-2-2 , p. 69-78 .

Web links

Commons : Amphitheater of Durrës  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Christian Zindel, Andreas Lippert , Bashkim Lahi, Machiel Kiel: Albanien. An archeology and art guide from the Stone Age to the 19th century . Böhlau, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-205-20723-8 , Roman Amphitheater, p. 438 ff .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Oliver Gilkes: Albania. An Archaeological Guide . IBTauris, London 2013, ISBN 978-1-78076-069-8 , The amphitheater, pp. 161 f .
  3. ↑ Gjerak Karaiskaj: Amphitheater of Durres . In: European Commission - Council of Europe Joint Program (Ed.): Integrated Rehabilitation Project Plan / Survey of the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IRPP / SAAH) - Albania . 2004, p. 13–15 ( seecorridors.eu [PDF; accessed July 6, 2019]).
  4. ↑ Tourguide.al: Pictures on Facebook. In: Facebook. February 3, 2016, accessed August 18, 2018 .
  5. ↑ a b c Guntram Koch: Albania. Art and culture in the land of the Skipetars (=  DuMont art travel guide ). DuMont, Cologne 1989, ISBN 3-7701-2079-5 , p. 115 f .
  6. ↑ Daniel origin: The amphitheater in Durrësi (Durrës, Durazzo, Epidamnos, Dyrrachion) (Albania, Albania, Albania, Shqipëria). Retrieved August 13, 2018 .
  7. ↑ muzafer korkuti , Apollon Bace, Neritan Ceka : Carte archéologique de l'Albanie . Ed .: Pierre Cabanes. Klosi & Benzenberg, Tirana 2008, ISBN 978-99956-667-2-9 , pp. 252 .
  8. ^ Theodor Mommsen : Inscriptiones Asiae, provinciarum Europae Graecarum, Illyrici Latinae. Pars I. Scan 186 of book page 118. In: Arachne. 1873, accessed on August 19, 2018 (for entry in the CIL).
  9. ↑ a b Roman Amphitheater in Durrës, ALBANIA . In: 7 MOST ENDANGERED . ( 7mostendangered.eu [accessed August 13, 2018]).
  10. ↑ a b c d e Lida Miraj: The Early Christian Chapel on the Amphitheater of Dyrrachium . In: Argjiro, Andi Rembeci (Ed.): Art & Trashëgimi . Trashëgimia ortodokse e Shqipërisë, No. 7 . Tirana 2016, ISBN 978-9928-14407-2 , pp. 88 f .
  11. ↑ a b Stefano Baccolini: Il Progetto Durres. Studi e Ricerche nell'anfiteatro. In: Università degli Studi di Parma. Retrieved on August 18, 2018 (Italian, including the following page).
  12. ↑ Lista e monumenteve të Kulturës - Qarku Durrës. (PDF) In: Instituti i Monumenteve të Kulturës. P. 2 , accessed on August 18, 2018 (Albanian).

Coordinates: 41 ° 18 ′ 43.7 ″  N , 19 ° 26 ′ 42 ″  E