Pula Arena Historical Timeline

Located in the Croatian city of Pula, this arena/amphitheater is one of the most intact examples found anywhere in the world and is the only one to still have all four of its side towers intact.

The first iteration of the arena was built from wood in 27 BC as Augustus turned Rome into an empire. At that time, Pula was known as Pietas Julia, an important Roman city in Eastern Europe that was connected to Rome by the Via Flavia road.

The arena would undergo several renovations throughout its history. Emperor Claudius replaced the wooden structure with stone between 41 and 54 AD. Vespasian expanded the structure in 79 AD to make room for bigger and grander gladiatorial bouts.

The final version of the arena was constructed in 81 AD by Emperor Titus. Throughout Roman rule, the Pula Arena was used to stage battles between gladiators as well as fights between captives and wild beasts such as lions.