Gladiators and wild beasts
The theatre
The Romans turned the theater into an arena that hosted gladiators and wild animal fights. They covered the floor of the orchestra with soil, while the first two rows of seats (including the seats for the officials) were removed and replaced by a wall to protect the spectators from the animals. The skene (the building behind the orchestra) was adapted to keep the animals that took part in the fights. The bulls and the boars were probably kept in the triangular rooms at the two ends of the skene. Such games were expensive to organize but there must have been wealthy citizens in Dodona who could provide the necessary funds in return for civic pride and glory.
As seen on
Dodona: in the shade of the sacred oak tree
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