19 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In Switzerland, a Roman amphitheater was discovered during the construction of boathouse

Archaeologists from Aargau Cantonal Archaeology have announced the discovery of a Roman amphitheater in Kaiseraugst, located in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland.

The amphitheater was discovered during the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club on the Rhine at Kaiseraugst. ​The facility is around 50 meters long and 40 meters wide and is located in the valley of a quarry that was abandoned in Roman times.

The Castrum Rauracense is located just west of the Kaiseraugst fort. To the south of the compound, found a large gate the amphitheater complex flanked by two side entrances and the remains of another entrance on the arena western side made from large sandstone blocks.

The grandstands were made of wood, and the impression of a wooden post could still be seen on the structure. All of the evidence, including the oval, entrances, and grandstand post-placement, points to an amphitheater. It dates to late antiquity, most likely the 4th century AD, based on the building materials used, the discoveries, and the fact that it was erected in an abandoned quarry.

The amphitheater was discovered during the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club on the Rhine at Kaiseraugst.
The amphitheater was discovered during the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club on the Rhine at Kaiseraugst. Photo: Aargau Cantonal Archaeology

As a result, the monument emphasizes the prominence of the Castrum Rauracense in the fourth century AD.

The researchers suggest that the amphitheater is the second amphitheater in the canton of Aargau after the Vindonissa (Windisch), and the third such monument found in Augusta Raurica.

Aargau Cantonal Archaeology stated: “The monument underlines the importance of the Castrum Rauracense in the 4th century AD. The fort was an important settlement with a military function on the Roman border, but also an administrative center.”

The threshold of the side entrance consists of a sandstone block.
The threshold of the side entrance consists of a sandstone block. Photo: Aargau Cantonal Archaeology

Around 44 BC, Lucius Munatius Plancus built Augusta Raurica, or Colonia Augusta Rauracorum, in the area of a native Gallic tribe known as the Rauraci. The town grew to be a thriving commercial trading center in the 2nd century AD, with a population of over 20,000 people.

The Kaiseraugst fort was an important settlement with a military function on the Roman border, but also an administrative center. The Roman city of Augusta Raurica, the archaeological site of the Roman city of Augusta Raurica, and the late antique Castrum Rauracense, form a unit. Today the site extends to both the Aargau and the Basel area.

KANTON AARGAU

Related Articles

Lost Phrygian Inscription on Arslan Kaya Monument Deciphered

23 November 2024

23 November 2024

Professor Mark Munn of Pennsylvania State University has deciphered part of the inscription on the legendary Arslan Kaya Monument (also...

A Roman copper-alloy tiny tortoise figurine found in Suffolk

3 December 2023

3 December 2023

In July last year, a small Roman copper alloy tortoise or turtle figurine was discovered by metal detectors near the...

4000-year-old boat salvaged near the ancient city of Uruk one of the most important cities in ancient Mesopotamia

6 April 2022

6 April 2022

A team of archaeologists from the Iraqi German Mission of the State Board of Antiquities and the Orient Department of...

Italian Research Team May Have Found Plato’s Burial Site in Athens

23 April 2024

23 April 2024

Graziano Ranocchia, a papyrologist at the University of Pisa, said he found Plato’s exact burial place based on papyri findings...

The longest inscription in Saudi Arabia turned out to belong to the last king of Babylon

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage has announced the discovery of a 2,550-year-old inscription etched on basalt stone...

Sensational Discovery in Kazakhstan: Rare Turko-Sughd Early Medieval Coin Discovered in Almaty Region

24 June 2024

24 June 2024

A sensational discovery was made in the Kogaly Valley, two hours from Almaty, Kazakhstan. For the first time in Kazakhstan,...

Earliest Direct Evidence of Psychoactive Plant Use in Iron Age Arabia Identified in Tomb at Qurayyah

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, scientists have uncovered the earliest known use of the psychoactive plant Peganum harmala—commonly known as...

Turkish researchers use Artificial Intelligence to read cuneatic Hittite tablets

9 January 2023

9 January 2023

Thanks to a project implemented in Türkiye, 1,954 ancient Hittite tablets are being read for the first time using artificial...

First Human Figurine of the Mesolithic Era (Circa 9000 Years Old) Discovered in Azerbaijan’s Damjili Cave

19 April 2025

19 April 2025

A groundbreaking discovery has been made in the Damjili Cave in Azerbaijan’s Gazakh district: the first human figurine from the...

The Light of the Patara Lighthouse will Shine Again After Centuries

1 March 2025

1 March 2025

The ancient lighthouse in Patara, built by Roman Emperor Nero and destroyed by natural disasters, has reached the final stages...

Researchers have found in miniature ceramic bottles evidence of the oldest known use of cosmetics in the Balkans

14 July 2021

14 July 2021

In miniature ceramic bottles from excavations ascribed to the Lasinja Culture in the Southeast Prealps and the Vinča Culture in...

The 2,200-year-old Agora of Aigai ancient city comes to light

19 August 2024

19 August 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered an agora (city square) during excavations in the ancient city of Aigai, west of Manisa. Aigai, located...

Mass Grave of 150 Roman Legionaries Discovered in Vienna—First Direct Evidence of Ancient Combat on the Danube Limes

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

Archaeologists from the Vienna Museum have made a groundbreaking discovery on the outskirts of Vienna, unearthing the remains of approximately...

490-Million-Year-Old Trilobites Could Solve Ancient Geography Puzzle

22 November 2023

22 November 2023

The humble trilobites may be extinct, but even as fossils, they can teach us much about our planet’s history. Indeed,...

Amateur divers discover ‘enormously valuable’ hoard of Roman coins

27 September 2021

27 September 2021

Two amateur free divers have found one of the largest collections of Roman coins in Europe off the east coast of Spain. Luis Lens...