Amphitheatre of El Jem and the stone oval of Roman Africa

In El Jem in central Tunisia, the Amphitheatre of El Jem rises as a vast stone oval from the modern town, linking Roman Africa to everyday life around it.

The Amphitheatre of El Jem in El Jem in central Tunisia is a vast Roman arena that rises as a complete stone oval from the surrounding streets. Built in the third century AD in the Roman city of Thysdrus, it shows how a provincial town in Africa Proconsularis expressed its status in monumental architecture. The amphitheatre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, placing this North African arena alongside better known Roman monuments.

An oval of stone in the middle of El Jem

The Amphitheatre of El Jem stands in the centre of the modern town of El Jem, on the broad inland plain of central Tunisia, well away from the Mediterranean coast.The amphitheatre of El Jem is located in the small town of El Jem in central Tunisia The Roman town here was known as Thysdrus and grew rich as a centre of olive oil and grain in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis.Thysdrus was founded by the Romans and developed into a prosperous town

The building itself is an oval amphitheatre built around 238 AD, with a major axis of about 148 m (486 ft) and a minor axis of about 122 m (400 ft), and its arena and terraces together could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators.The amphitheatre was built around 238 AD and measures 148 metres by 122 metres The exterior walls rise through three tiers of arcades in Corinthian and composite styles, creating a rhythm of arches and engaged columns around the entire oval.Its facade comprises three levels of arcades with Corinthian and composite decoration

Architecture of a Roman arena in Africa Proconsularis

The Amphitheatre of El Jem is built entirely of stone blocks, laid without foundations, so the structure rises directly from the ground as a freestanding mass of masonry.The amphitheatre is built entirely of stone blocks, with no foundations and free-standing Inside, the arena runs along the long axis, surrounded by stepped seating tiers that follow the oval plan and are cut by staircases and passageways that once organised access.

Beneath the arena floor, corridors and rooms form an underworld of vaulted spaces that once supported the spectacles above.The amphitheatre has corridors and rooms under the arches and floors The stone terraces rise to a height of around 30 m (98 ft), and parts of the upper levels preserve staircases and galleries, so the vertical scale of the structure is still legible from the town streets around it.It stands about 30 metres high with three tiers of seating

From Roman Thysdrus to a World Heritage landmark

The amphitheatre at El Jem belongs to the period when Thysdrus was a leading town in Roman Africa in the third century AD, and it is associated with the African proconsul Gordian, who held power in 238 AD.It is thought to date from around 230 AD and was built by the proconsul Gordian The arena illustrates the reach of imperial building traditions into provincial North Africa, taking the familiar Roman amphitheatre type and translating it into a local context on the high plain of central Tunisia.The third-century monument illustrates the grandeur and extent of Imperial Rome in North Africa

In 1979 the Amphitheatre of El Jem was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a major monument of Roman Africa and as the largest colosseum in North Africa.The Amphitheatre of El Jem was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and is described as the largest colosseum in North Africa The designation covers the amphitheatre and its immediate setting in El Jem, and it acknowledges both the scale of the structure and the degree to which its masonry shell, arcades and interior passages still stand.

Visiting Amphitheatre of El Jem: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Amphitheatre of El Jem stands in El Jem in central Tunisia, south of Sousse, and is reached by road and rail connections that link the town with other inland and coastal settlements.
• The structure rises to around 30 m (98 ft), and exploring the interior involves climbing stone staircases and walking along sloping passages and terraces at varying levels.
• The town of El Jem lies in a flat inland landscape, and the amphitheatre stands among residential streets, so the exterior can be viewed from different angles within the urban fabric.
• The official language is Arabic and the currency is the Tunisian dinar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Amphitheatre of El Jem

Where is the Amphitheatre of El Jem?

The Amphitheatre of El Jem stands in the modern town of El Jem in central Tunisia, on an inland plain south of Sousse in the historic region of Africa Proconsularis.

What should visitors expect inside the amphitheatre?

Visitors encounter an oval Roman arena with stone seating tiers, staircases and corridors, as well as vaulted spaces beneath the arena floor that once supported the spectacles above.

What makes the Amphitheatre of El Jem distinctive?

The amphitheatre is distinctive for its size as the largest colosseum in North Africa, its three-tiered stone arcades and its setting as a monumental Roman structure embedded in a living Tunisian town.