Flavian Amphitheater at Puteoli

The Flavian Amphitheater at Puteoli was built beginning in the late 70s CE under Vespasian at the height of Puteoli’s prosperity and replaced a smaller, nearby Augustan amphitheater. It is located in the town of Puteoli, which became a major port town from the Republic onwards. It is the third largest amphitheater in Italy after the Colosseum and the amphitheater of Capua with a maximum capacity of 50,000 individuals. Its internal structure is very well-preserved compared to these other amphitheaters, including features such as elevator shafts used to bring gladiators and animals from the substructure to the surface and a series of fountains and cisterns to provide water for spectators, staff, and animals. There was a Corinthian colonnade, now collapsed, on the highest level of the exterior. This Flavian Amphitheater also holds significance to early Christian history: in 305 CE, two Christian saints, Proculus and Janarius—better known as San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples—were thrown to wild beasts here before being beheaded elsewhere in Puteoli.