Merida's Roman Amphitheater; oldest in Spain

Tuesday, October 28, 2019                                                                               Merida

Arial view of the Roman theater and the Roman amphitheater in Merida

 We spent most of the day today in the city of Mérida, capital of Extremadura in the Badajoz province.  Merida was once also capital of the Roman province of Lusitania and was called Emerita Augusta, founded 25 BC.  Merida is home to the most extensive Roman ruins in all Spain. 

 The city’s name evolved from its original one of Emerita Augusta, which means Army of Augustus. Mérida,  was designated by the Emperor for Roman legionnaires and their families. Our guide, Maria, says the city was built for the veteran soldiers, as a reward for their service. Mérida eventually evolved into the capital of Lusitania, which was thought to be the most important province in the western empire and included the area of modern-day Portugal. 

Modern entrance to both the theater and amphitheater, with associated gardens and Roman houses  

Roman ruins are found throughout Merida and include a temple, an aqueduct, a bridge, the theater and the amphitheater.

Still intact portions of the Roman roads

As the capital of Lusitania, Merida was large enough to contain a garrison of 90,000 men. It also prospered in the 7th century under the Visigoths.Even though Merida was built for and named after Augustus, the emperor never visited the city.  The film Gladiator was made here in this region.

Most of the amphitheater was carried away in the 5th century and used to build new buildings

Entrances for the gladiator contests

The amphitheater could seat almost 15,000 spectators

Attached to the grand Teatro Romano, the  Amphitheater opened in 8 BC for gladiatorial contests and held 14,000. It is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Spain. It was constructed in an oval shape it followed the Roman tradition of separate sections for the upper, middle and lower classes.  Women sat in their own area and the commoners’ seats were separated from those of noblemen. The amphitheater was used for gladiatorial battles between condemned men and wild animals brought from Asia and Africa.

Overall,  the only intact portions of the amphitheater are the center, the interior rows of the grandstand, and the gladiators’ quarters. By the 400’s its walls were taken down and  its component materials were harvested to build other structures.