Lämningar från mer än 230 romerska amfiteatrar har hittats sprida runt om i alla av det romerska imperiets provinser. Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att skapa en förståelse för amfiteatrarnas betydelse för det romerska riket, genom att studera var de är lokaliserade och det fynd som har gjorts i dem. De flesta arbeten som redan gjorts i ämnet är gjorda på amfiteatrarnas konstruktion eller på separata amfiteatrar. Genom litteraturstudier av 23 amfiteatrar är syftet att få en större överblick över ämnet. Resultatet visar på att amfiteatrarna låg på militära, politiska och ekonomiskt strategiska platser och ofta i utkanten eller utanför staden. Fynd från amfiteatrarna visar att huvudstrategin bakom byggandet av amfiteatrarna var att kontrollera imperiets folk. / Remains of more than 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found scattered around the provinces of the Roman Empire. The purpose of this essay is to create an understanding of the importance of amphitheatres to the Roman Empire, by studying where they are located and the archaeological finds that have been made in them. Most of the work already done on the subject has been done on the construction of the amphitheatres. Through literature studies of 23 amphitheatres, the aim is to get a greater overview of the subject. The results show that the amphitheatres were located in military, political and economic strategic locations and often on the outskirts or outside the city. Finds from the amphitheatres show that the main strategy behind the construction of the amphitheatres was to control the people of the empire.

In this thesis the main focus is the varied body of entertainment structures in Pergamon in the Roman era. Pergamon was a well known city in the Hellenistic period with close ties to Athens and continued its standing as a major cultural center through the Roman period. Especially notable is the fact that one of the only three known amphitheatres of Asia Minor was in Pergamon. Since the amphitheatre is a well-known Roman building type with no Greek precedent, its presence in Pergamon is particularly worth investigating. Besides the amphitheatre Pergamon also boasted a well known Greek theatre, a Roman theatre, a stadium and several odea which make the city a highly promising case study for multiple structures of entertainment. Hence the aim is to explore the architectural, social and political implications for the combined presence of these structures all within the same city.