Larino’s Roman amphitheater, located in the area of Piana S. Leonardo, the ancient Larinum, is a testament to the town’s importance in the historical period.
Probably built between AD 70 and 150, it was built thanks to the generosity of a rich and wealthy senator of the town, as attested by the stone inscription on one of the gates.
Several tombs have also been found in the surrounding area since, most likely, the same area was used as a necropolis. Its structure is referred to as “mixed,” in that one part of the amphitheater is built elevated above street level, while the other part was built about six meters deep.
The amphitheater has an elliptical-shaped base, with four main entrances and as many as twelve secondary doors, which provided access to the tiers of seats. It was a medium-sized theater-it could, in fact, hold about 15,000 spectators-and was intended primarily for gladiatorial fights and hunting shows.
Of the four main entrances, the one to the north constituted the famous gladiator gate, from which the ancient victorious warriors exited; the one to the south, on the other hand, was intended for the exit of slain gladiators and the carcasses of beasts.
The arena has a pit with an almost square plan; around it runs the euripus (channel for draining water), which is followed by the podium, a sector reserved for prominent personalities, consisting of three steps covered with large slabs of limestone, applied on a lattice facing.
In order of importance, the other sectors follow:
-the ima cavea, a sector of the bleachers reserved for the Knights, consisting of six steps carved directly into the tufa, very few elements of the original bleachers are preserved;
-the media cavea, a sector for spectators of lower social rank;
-the summa cavea, a sector where people of modest status found a place.
It should not be forgotten that in the amphitheater the spectators’ place was always higher the lower their rank in society.
Finally, it should be remembered how in the medieval age the area of the amphitheater was used for burials; a number of tombs dating from this era have recently been found, accompanied by interesting grave goods.
