Tarraco amphitheatre

The amphitheatre of Tarraco stands on the edge of Tarragona's old town, below the city walls, looking out to sea. It was built at the end of the 1st or in the 2nd century AD and, depending on the source, held 14,000 to 15,000 spectators; the seating is partly cut into the rock. Gladiator fights, wild-animal hunts and executions took place here. In AD 259 Bishop Fructuosus and his deacons Augurius and Eulogius were burned alive in the arena; a basilica was later built on the spot, followed in the 12th century by a Romanesque church that was demolished in 1915.

In 1780 the site served as a prison for convicts working on the construction of the port, and it was not until the mid-20th century that it was uncovered and restored. The amphitheatre is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco" (2000). According to History Hit, re-enactments of Roman daily life are held in summer.