Ancient Amphitheatre Claimed

Surely one of the greatest pieces of ancient architecture in Albania, if not the Balkans, the Durres Amphitheatre was built in 100AD by Hadrian and was only rediscovered in the 1960s. It was used for about 300 years and back then it could as many as 20,000 spectators.

This grand scale is part of what makes the landmark special, but archaeologists are also intrigued by how the building demonstrates the Roman transition to Christianity. Within this site is a chapel with stunning wall mosaics of saints, showing how the amphitheatre took on a religious purpose later in its life.