Roman amphitheatre outside Rome dug up

[Rokcet Scientist]

Thursday, 1 October 2009
UK dig finds Roman amphitheatre

British archaeologists have unearthed an amphitheatre at a ancient port outside Rome which may have played host to emperors such as Hadrian and Trajan.
The team, led by the University of Southampton, say the arena could have held up to 2,000 people and been used for gladiator games or animal baiting.
It was found inside a gigantic imperial-style palace within the well-preserved old harbour of Portus.
Experts said the entire site deserved greater recognition.

The excavation team, which also included archaeologists from Cambridge University, has spent two years at Portus, about 20 miles (32km) from the Italian capital.
They worked in collaboration with the British School at Rome on the first large-scale dig at Portus.
The ancient gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, which is twice the size of the port of Southampton, supplied the centre of the Roman Empire with food, slaves, wild animals and building materials for hundreds of years.
It is now two miles inland and next to Fiumicino Airport's runway.

'Strictly private'
The project concentrated on the banks of a hexagonal-shaped man-made lake which formed part of the 2nd Century harbour. [...]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8283195.stm