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The Amphitheater of El-Jem in Tunisia

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, the Amphitheater of El Jem is a historical monument dating back to the third century, during the Roman era. It was designed on the site of the ancient ancient city of Thysdrus, El Jem. Moreover, it is also known as the Thysdrus Coliseum.

The history of this Colosseum
El Jem is a city where many archaeological excavations have been conducted. These last ones made it possible to find many vestiges of the past. It is also thanks to them that the specialists were able to discover that the current Amphitheater is the third place of spectacle to be built on the spot.

The ruins of the first amphitheater were discovered in 1973 by Hedi Slim while the remains of the second were discovered in the 1960s by Charles Tissot.

The third is, as for him, still on feet and can be visited. Of the three buildings, the latter was the most successful. Its construction dates from the third century during which the city was very prosperous thanks to wheat and olive oil.

Over the years, the monument has suffered many degradations, but has also been the subject of multiple repairs. Today, it is not as in state as before, but remains one of the greatest monuments of Tunisia. Note that the country today has about fifty amphitheatres, but none is as large or as well preserved as that of El Jem.

The Amphitheater of El-Jem in Tunisia

It is considered the third largest amphitheater in the world after Rome and Capua.

This place of spectacle has hosted, for almost two centuries, gladiatorial battles, chariot races, circus games and exhibitions of wild beasts.

The characteristics of the Colosseum
The Thysdrus Coliseum was designed to compensate for the inability of the other two to accommodate the entire population. Indeed, the first was abandoned in favor of the second which had a capacity of 6,000 people then the latter gave way to the current amphitheater whose capacity reaches 30,000 people.

It displays an ellipse shape displaying the following dimensions:

A length of 148 meters
A width of 122 meters
A height of 36 meters
Axes reaching 65 and 39 meters
A perimeter of 427 meters
All its walls are made of dune sandstone which consists of shells and coarse sand. Unlike its predecessors, it was erected on a flat ground while the other two were dug directly on a hill which explains their semi-buried character. This proves that the construction of the amphitheater of El Jem was colossal. It is, moreover, the only Roman building to be built in stone and the only building in the city to have been built with this material. Originally, the material was white, but it turned to ocher over the centuries.

The Colosseum of Thysdrus in El-Jem

As for its facade, it consisted of 64 arcades spread over three floors. The walls are up to 4, 56 meters thick since the building material is quite fragile.

In terms of the stands, they were designed with cavea stone and were almost 40 cm high and about 60 cm wide.

Nowadays, the center of the Colosseum is still in good condition while its stands. Every year, in summer, the Symphonic Music Festival takes place, because the place benefits from an excellent acoustic appreciated by the musicians...