Archaeological site Amphitheatre of Pompeii (II.6.1)

You're standing at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, one of the oldest Roman amphitheatres we know of. It was built around 70 BC, some hundred and fifty years before Vesuvius buried the whole town in ash. That's exactly why it survived so well. Take a look at how it sits in the landscape. The builders didn't put up a tall structure of arches and concrete. They dug a pit for the arena and piled the earth around it as an embankment. Stone seating went on top, held in by a retaining wall. That's why the arena lies six metres below ground level.