The Amphitheatre of Kaiseraugst

2 May 2022

In December 2021, an amphitheatre was discovered during a building survey in Kaiseraugst, near the former Roman city of Augusta Raurica (today Augst, Canton of Basel-Landschaft).

The amphitheatre is the second amphitheatre in the canton of Aargau, after the one in Vindonissa (Windisch). In Augusta Raurica, it is already the third monument of its kind, although its two predecessors were abandoned in the 4th century.

A  farewell to the amphitheatre

Apart from Vindonissa and Augusta Raurica, there is also an amphitheatre known on the Engelhalbinsel in Bern (Bernodurum), in Avenches (Aventicum), Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium) and Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris).

The amphitheatre is 50 metres long and 40 metres wide. The amphitheatre can be dated to late antiquity, in the 4th century. It is located directly on the shores of the Rhine and outside the fortress.

It is the youngest known amphitheatre of the Roman Empire to date. The amphitheatre remains in the ground. Layers of gravel and sand cover the archaeological site.

Jakob Baerlocher, ‘Das neuentdeckte Amphitheater von Kaiseraugst’ in Augusta Raurica, 2022/1, S.12-15.