The Colosseum of Anatolia is an historic Roman amphitheater that was found in Turkey. In 2021, archaeologists from Aydin University found the remnants of an ancient Roman amphitheater tucked away among the surrounding vegetation and olive trees at the Anatolian location, close to the Turkish town of Nazili in Mastaura. The Mastaura Amphitheater was built during the Severan dynasty, about 200 AD.
The Colosseum of Anatolia is a unique structure, similar only to the Colosseum of Rome. The structure reappeared on the hills of the old city of Mastaura, which governed the empire from AD 193 to 235. Mastaura had grown into a prosperous and economically developed city by then.
The colosseum of Anatolia is round, roughly 100 meters in circumference, and its walls rise to a height of 15 meters. Archaeologists estimate that its capacity was to accommodate anywhere between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators. The round structure was most likely utilized for gladiatorial combat and games to witness the bloody shows.
It is a “unique and spectacular edifice” and the “third known amphitheater in Turkey,” according to Mehmet Umut Tuncer, the province of Aydin’s director of culture and tourism affairs. In fact, it would be the only known amphitheater in Anatolia in such good condition of preservation, claims lead archaeologist Sedat Akkurnaz of the team.
Other cities in the area most likely used it as a point of interest. “Visitors from surrounding cities traveled to Mastaura to witness important events in this venue specifically created for graphic performances. The scientists likened the newly found monument to Rome’s Colosseum. Currently working on 3D scans, archaeologists intend to start digging again so they may conduct geophysical investigations of the structure.
According to some archaeologists, locals from the surrounding area most likely flocked to Mastaura to wager on gladiatorial fights and contests between wild animals. The group also found signs of past communities in the vicinity, such as a mill, a tomb, and the remnants of four cisterns.
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