Guided tours for visitors are being held at the site over Christmas and the New Year
Posted on 12/18/2018 9:46:09 AM PST by SunkenCiv
The dig is taking place underneath one of the walls of the disused bull ring, a wall which has been reinforced specifically so that the archaeologists could begin their work beneath it, and the opinion of the experts is that these rooms were used to hold gladiators and animals captive before they were released to do battle in the arena itself. Their existence was documented in the 18th century, well before the construction of the bull ring, and the roofs were re-discovered in 1999, but until now no-one was aware of how well they have survived the passing of two millennia!
In fact, the general consensus is that the only comparably well preserved remains of such structures in Spain are at the amphitheatre of Itálica in the province of Sevilla, which was one of the largest in the whole of the Roman Empire.
The middle of the three rooms uncovered is 3 metres wide, and doorways measuring 1.80 metres connect it with the other two.
The amphitheatre of Cartagena, which was built in the 1st century BC, is one of only 18 which are known about in the Iberian Peninsula, and only 7 of those have been the subject of in-depth archaeological investigation. 6 of them can be considered monumental remains, and with the latest discovery the one in Cartagena is on its way to becoming one of the most important in Spain, or indeed anywhere outside Italy.
In addition, Cartagena is one of only four cities in Spain to both a theatre and an amphitheatre built by the Romans.
(Excerpt) Read more at murciatoday.com ...
Guided tours for visitors are being held at the site over Christmas and the New Year
Don't look at me, I'm not Spartacus.
Interesting. Good find.
They found a inscription in Latin translating to:
“ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!”
Which movie is that extracted from?
I’ve worked in Spain several times: Their bullrings are (sometimes) very impressive, sometimes mere corrals, sometimes elaborate “modern” concrete buildings. They perhaps can best be thought of like American baseball fields.
Sandlots and local teams. Nothing but a fence and (literally) bleachers and a gate. Well-built arenas like high school or college ball fields. Minor league farm team baseball fields (AAA or AA baseball fields.) The modern big-city Major League fields.
Above all of them: The “traditional” 18th and 19th century big-city “We have had a “Tradition” of Bull-Fighting in this plaza since 1750 here” old masonry and stone and pillars and spectacles.
I don’t like bull-fighting (nor the modern WWE “wrestling” and TV-produced “gladiator” fighting that soon will become even more blood and sex shows), but if today’s liberal elites force us to accept the slavery and barbarism of their approved Muslim culture, how can they disapprove of the Spanish bull-fighters?
(Oh yeah. The Spaniards beat the Muslims in 1492. )
They also found bones of some queer giraffes.
I've long suspected that the bullfighting familiar to moderns grew out of the Roman-era cult of Mithras.
Spain was settled by Phoenicians so it could very well be...................
Life of Brian, Monty Python
I love this stuff.
Just watched the first episode of Starz Spartacus. Not in the same league as HBO Rome. But, hey, there’s plenty of gratuitous sex and violence.
“Joey, Do You Like Movies About Gladiators?”
Heh heh... here's something you're unlikely to believe... I have *never* seen that movie!
That might be worth a look though. Since you bring it up, that jostles some atrophied part of the noggin and it seems to me that there was a made-for-TV version done around 1970 or '71, although I'm sure I didn't watch it, just heard how cool it was from some of my classmates.
Thinking about the minutes those gladiators spent locked in those rooms, waiting to fight the animals he could hear snarling one room away, or waiting to fight each other, is pretty poignant.
For those considering a Spanish holiday:
The Tower of Hercules in Corunna, Spain is the oldest Roman lighthouse in use today
Sep 29, 2016
Marija Georgievska
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/09/29/tower-hercules-corunna-spain-oldest-roman-lighthouse-use-today/
[snip] After almost 2,000 years, it is the oldest lighthouse still in operation in the world. The tower, built on a 57-metre high rock, rises a further 55 meters, of which 34 meters correspond to the Roman masonry and 21 meters to the restoration in the 18th century. The three-story tower was given a neoclassical restoration undertaken by naval engineer Eustagujo Giannini during the reign of Charles III of Spain. The structure looks as though it could have been built just decades ago and looks remarkably modern. It is thought to be modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. [/snip]
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