In the Beginning There Was a Timber Construction... The Wooden Amphitheatre of Viminacium

Abstract

This article presents a study of the results of recent excavations of the Viminacium amphitheatre and its relation to the Column of Trajan. Based on archaeological data, it was possible to determine the existence of the primary wooden structure that dates back to the Trajanic period. Timber amphitheatres are known from literary sources and they were detected on numerous sites especially along the frontiers, while their pictorial depiction is extremely rare. The best known representation of a wooden-frame amphitheatre is depicted on the XV spiral, in scene XCIX–C on Trajan’s Column. In this paper, we will compare the discovered parts of the construction with similar structures excavated on other sites, and also with the amphitheatre shown on Trajan’s Column, in order to understand and reconstruct the appearance of the Viminacium wooden amphitheatre.