This is the first study of all the Roman amphitheatres in Britain, and it draws on very recent excavations at Chester, London and Silchester. Tony Wilmott describes every amphitheatre, amphitheatre-type structure and mixed theatre/amphitheatre structure in the province. He discusses the different types - rural, military and urban - and explores whether such differences are significant in terms of the uses to which the buildings were put. He then focuses on the participants in the arena spectacles - the gladiators and the animals. New evidence on the identity and behaviour of spectators is discussed. Accompanying illustrations come from inscriptions, paintings, mosaics and artefacts.
