During our stay in the city of Durrës in Albania, we set out the explore the ancient amphitheater in town.
It was very affordable to tour the grounds. 200 lekë for adults, children were free. That comes to a grand total of $1.82.
The Durrës Amphitheater was built in the 2nd century BCE and is the largest one found in the Balkans, seating close to 20,000 spectators back in the day.
We started our tour down this dark staircase.
In the 7th century, after it no longer functioned as an amphitheater with gladiators fighting each other and beasts, a Byzantine church was added. Here are old mosaics from that time that are still intact.
And here is a look from inside the church looking out into the arena of the amphitheater grounds.
Walking through more dark tunnels lead us out onto the grounds.
Excavation of the amphitheater didn’t begin until its discovery in 1966.
It is still a work in progress.
A peek into one of the largest tunnels they excavated. Notice the mountain of dirt. I wonder where it used to go.
Don’t blame Luka for this destruction.
Here is a look at the Byzantine church that was added 500 years after the amphitheater was first built.
Dirt filled this ancient place up and at one point it ended up being a cemetery. Not sure what happened to the dead bodies. There was no one to ask here.
I love when the kids discover little details while exploring new places on their own.
This marks our first amphitheater tour during our European travels. Can’t wait to add more to our list as we continue exploring.
Thanks for following along,
Marlene
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