Roman amphitheatre of Itálica, Spain

Info. The Roman amphitheatre of Itálica near Santiponce, Spain

Just north of the Spanish city of Seville, you’ll find the ancient ruins of Itálica, the first Roman settlement in what is now Spain and the first Roman city outside of Italy. The city was founded in 206 BCE by the Roman general Scipio as a settlement for veterans from the Second Punic War. Itálica was also the birthplace of at least two Roman emperors.

For centuries, Itálica was an elaborate urban centre with a temple, theatre, public baths, gorgeous homes for the wealthy elite and a population of about 8,000 residents. This aerial view is of the city’s famous amphitheatre, where thousands of spectators came to watch the gladiator fights, hunts of wild beasts and public executions.

Today, the modern Spanish city of Santiponce has grown up around – and even atop – the ruins. Tourists come here to walk the preserved Roman streets, admire the mosaics and imagine the scenes of life and death that happened in this amphitheatre nearly 2,000 years ago.