Carmarthen's Roman Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre in Carmarthen is found on Priory Street. (From St Peters car park continue out of town for around 300m and the amphitheatre is on your left. Entrance is near a large slate plaque stating 'Carmarthen Amphitheatre').

The Amphitheatre is possibly the furthest west in the roman world and is one of only seven surviving examples in the UK. It represents the only above ground Roman remains in Carmarthen!

The 'Cavea' or seating area is 46m x 27m and is quite large when considering the size of the town it served. The reconstructed arena wall can be seen delineating the seating area from the arena itself and would originally have had wooden seating benches for the public.

The amphitheatre would probably have been used for everything from roman games, including gladiatorial contests, beast hunts and public executions, to military and civic parades and religious holidays and events. The amphitheatre would have been used by the roman inhabitants of the town itself, but also by the local native 'Demetae' tribe.

Roman artefacts from various excavations in Carmarthen can be found in the Carmarthenshire County Museum at Abergwili. Further information can also be found in the guide "Carmarthen the Oldest Town in Wales" by Cambria Archaeology, available at the Tourist information Centre - Castle House, adjacent to County Hall, Carmarthen, for £4 (Tel: 01267 231557).