Emily Chan
Most of the arena’s underground structure has been well-preserved. It is still solid, as if it was recently built.
Many of the aboveground constructions had crumbled throughout the years, but the researchers were still able to detect some rows of seats, the space where the gladiators fought, and the supporting walls outside the building.
About 15,000 to 20,000 people could fit in the arena, making it smaller than the Colosseum in Rome, which could hold 50,000 people.
The Colosseum was built in roughly A.D. 70. Its outer walls still stand at approximately 157 feet, while its central arena was 285 feet by 180 feet.
In comparison, the arena in Mastaura had walls that reached 82 feet tall and a smaller arena space of 131 feet by 98 feet.
The gladiator battles and animal fights that took place at the Mastaura arena were likely just as bloody and gory as those at the Colosseum.
Additionally, the arena contained specialized areas, such as gladiator waiting rooms and private entertainment rooms for important spectators.
“There is no previous example of such an amphitheater in Anatolia [also known as Asia Minor] and its immediate surroundings,” said the researchers.
The arena likely attracted spectators from neighboring towns, including the ancient Western Anatolian cities of Magnesia, Miletus, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, and Priene.
The research team worked with the Aydın Archaeological Museum and the Nazilli Municipality to preserve the arena. They performed laser scans of the structure to create a digital three-dimensional image of it.
Afterward, they planned to conduct geophysical surveys above the building to better understand what the underground sections were like.
