---
title: The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima
author: Patrick Scott Smith, M. A.   
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21688/the-amphitheater-of-caesarea-maritima/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0)
updated: 2026-04-20
---

# The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima

_Authored by [Patrick Scott Smith, M. A.   ](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/patrickscottsmith1956/)_

## Image File

[![The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21688.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/21688.jpg)

## Image Caption

As [Caesarea Maritima](https://www.worldhistory.org/Caesarea_Maritima/) was a center of sporting events in the [Mediterranean](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/mediterranean/) world, [Herod the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Herod_the_Great/) assigned this building to host games every five years, which likely included wrestling, boxing matches, gymnastic events, and possibly gladiatorial spectacles. As was common practice among the Romans, using the Capua amphitheater in [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/) as a plausible parallel, this [stadium](https://www.worldhistory.org/Stadium/) was likely located outside the main gate of the Cardo Maximus at its southern end, where the greatest amount of commercial traffic from the East arrived at the [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/). To give an idea of the possible scale of the amphitheater by way of a parallel, the amphitheater at Capua had an axis of 170 meters (560 ft) and a total façade height of 46 meters (151 ft).

Using archaeological reports by Ehud Netzer, Barbara Burrell, Kenneth Holum, Robert Bull, and others, along with [Flavius Josephus](https://www.worldhistory.org/Flavius_Josephus/)' eyewitness descriptions, the image you see is part of the collaborative work of Lithodomos and Patrick Scott Smith.

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## About the Author

Presenting research for the American Society of Overseas Research and Missouri Academy of Science and writing for the Association for the Scientific Study of Religion, Patrick Smith won the 2015 and 2024 Frank Forwood Award for Excellence in Research.

## Cite This Work

### APA
A., P. S. S. M. (2026, April 18). The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21688/the-amphitheater-of-caesarea-maritima/>
### Chicago
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 18, 2026. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21688/the-amphitheater-of-caesarea-maritima/>.
### MLA
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "The Amphitheater of Caesarea Maritima." *World History Encyclopedia*, 18 Apr 2026, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21688/the-amphitheater-of-caesarea-maritima/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Patrick Scott Smith, M. A.](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/patrickscottsmith1956/ "User Page: Patrick Scott Smith, M. A."), published on 18 April 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0deed.en). This licence only allows others to download this content and share it with others as long as the author is credited, but they can't change the content in any way or use it commercially. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.