Archaeologists Stunned As Construction For New Rowing Club Unearths Worlds Youngest Roman Amphitheatre
Swiss archaeologists carrying out a routine check on a building site for a new rowing club were amazed when they unearthed a fourth-century Roman amphitheatre, which they believe is the most modern ever found.
The completely fortuitous discovery took place in Kaiseraugst, which is a municipality in the district of Rheinfelden in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, not far from the city of Basel, last December.
And after digging up and examining the contents, they have now covered it in earth again in order to preserve the contents, ready for a full dig when the weather improves.
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Finding Roman remains in the area is not uncommon, as the location for the rowing club lies near the old Roman town of Augusta Raurica, which serves as a sort of open-air museum.
This is why the canton’s archaeologists routinely accompany construction work, but even the seasoned experts had not been expecting an amphitheatre at the location, the Aargau canton archaeologists said in a statement.
They said the reason that they were sceptical of anything significant was because the location is primarily an old Roman quarry, and no one was expecting to discover the walls to an amphitheatre.
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It was at first unclear what they had discovered, but over the course of the excavation, it became clear that the structure was an amphitheatre.
Experts from the Aargau Canton Archaeology Department who accompanied the construction work expressed their surprise at the find and emphasised its special significance.
The Canton of Aargau said in a statement obtained by Newsflash that the amphitheatre is “located in the hollow of a quarry that was abandoned in Roman times, immediately west of Kaiseraugst Castle, the Castrum Rauracense.
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The 50-by-40-metre (164-by-131-foot) amphitheatre, which boasts a large entrance gate, probably dates back to the 4th century AD, making it the youngest known amphitheatre in the Roman Empire. It was found during construction work for a new Basel Rowing Club boathouse.
The Canton of Aargau said: “A large gate was uncovered to the south of the complex, which was flanked on both sides by two side entrances. The threshold made of sandstone blocks from the western side entrance was still preserved.”
“On the west side of the complex there was another entrance to the arena, again with a large sandstone threshold. The inside of the arena wall was plastered. The grandstands consisted of a wooden construction, from which the imprint of a wooden post could still be proven.”
“All the evidence together, the oval, the entrances and the post placement for a tribune, lend credence to it being an amphitheatre.”
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The expert also said that they believed it to be the youngest known amphitheatre in the whole of the Roman Empire. They said in a statement: “Due to the building materials used, the finds and the fact that it was built in an abandoned quarry, it dates to late antiquity, probably to the 4th century AD. This makes it the youngest known amphitheatre in the Roman Empire.”
They added that the monument added to the importance of the nearby Roman fortification. They said: “The monument thus underlines the importance of the Castrum Rauracense in the 4th century AD. The fort was an important settlement with a military function on the Roman border, but also an administrative centre.”
The large monument has since been covered up again so as to protect it.