Chester Amphitheatre

Chester Roman Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre seen from the city walls, with archaeological digs in progress (2006)
Shown within England
Location	Chester, Cheshire, England
Region	Brittania
Coordinates	53°11′21″N 2°53′13″W / 53.18917°N 2.88694°W / 53.18917; -2.88694Coordinates: 53°11′21″N 2°53′13″W / 53.18917°N 2.88694°W / 53.18917; -2.88694
Type	Amphitheatre
Part of	Deva Victrix
Length	320 feet (98 m)
Width	286 feet (87 m)
Area	91,520 square feet (0.85 ha)
Height	40 feet (12 m)
History
Founded	Late 70's
Abandoned	Around 350
Periods	Roman Empire
Site notes
Management	English Heritage
Website	Chester Roman Amphitheatre

Chester Amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheatre in Chester, Cheshire. The site is managed by English Heritage; it is designated as a Grade I listed building, and a scheduled monument. The ruins currently exposed are those of a large stone amphitheatre, similar to those found in Continental Europe, and although it was long believed that a smaller wooden amphitheatre existed on the site beforehand, excavations since 1999 have shown that the wooden grillage is the base of the seating. Today, only the northern half of the structure is exposed; the southern half is covered by buildings, some of which are themselves listed.

The amphitheatre is the largest so far uncovered in Britain, and dates from the 1st century, when the Roman fort of Deva Victrix was founded. It is a peculiarly English myth that the amphitheatre would have been primarily for military training and drill; all the evidence recovered from excavation shows that it was used for cock fighting, bull baiting and combat sports, including classical boxing, wrestling and, probably most importantly, gladiatorial combat. The poet Oppian wrote that the Romans inherited the Greek passion for the cockfight, which was held "on anniversaries . . . as a solemn rite", a consecration, in effect a sacred cockfight, to remind men that they should be "perpetual imitators of the cock".

In use through much of the Roman occupation of Britain, the amphitheatre fell into disuse around the year 350. The amphitheatre was only rediscovered in 1929, when one of the pit walls was discovered during construction work. Between 2000 and 2006, excavation of the amphitheatre took place for Chester City Council and, after 2004, English Heritage.