HER 401 DESCRIPTION:-

Scheduled Monument Description:

The Bull Ring, or Amphitheatre, is situated in The Querns. The Querns consists of mounds and hollows indicating ancient quarrying. It was probably the quarry used by the Romans to obtain stone for building the town. On the north side of these "tumps" is believed to have been a Roman amphitheatre.

1779 - Rudder describes the arena as an elliptical form measuring in its longer axis about 200 feet, and in its shorter axis about 130 feet. The amphitheatre has two entrances, facing each other. Rudder also mentions a third approach "about 30 feet wide on the northern side between two stone walls which were designed to keep up the high bank of earth on each side." {Source Work 210, 476.}

1848 - Professor Buckman in 1848 cut a section through one of the banks and found masonry walls which he assumed to be Roman. The exact position of the trench was not recorded but pronounced sinkage in the surface of the mound on the north-west side might be taken to mark the site. {Source Works 3780, 476.}

1917 - The amphitheatre was visited by members of the Cotteswold Naturalists Field Club on 15 May 1917. A detailed address was given at the site, later printed in the publications of the group, which summarises the prior excavations. The site is noted as only just outside of the town wall and in a direct line with The Foss Way Roman road. {Source Work 3166.}

1962-3 - Excavation in 1962 and 1963 on the south-east side of the north-east entrance of the arena. Masonry walls were revealed that contained a bank of clay and stone on which seating was placed. Estimated seating capacity 5000-7000. The excavation was continued in 1964 and 1966. {Source Work 3775.}

1966 - The excavations of 1962-63 and 1964 were continued in 1966. The seating bank was investigated and an attempt made to locate the arena bank. The seating bank was shown to be terraced by small, limestone, retaining walls, albeit without evidence of stone seating. {Source Work 5585.}

1976 - The amphitheatre, located outside the town to the south-west, originated from the period of the first civilian settlement. As the 2nd century progressed the amphitheatre was strengthened by masonry. Limestone suitable for the purpose is easily accessible immediately west of the town. Excavation has indicated the quarry to be of Roman origin (p xxxv). Names derived from 'caester ' might relate to the amphitheatre (p lii).{Source Work 403.}

1999 - Archaeological investigations associated with improvements to footpath access and the provision of other facilities at the Roman amphitheatre were carried out by Cotswold Archaeological Trust during June-July 1999. Due to the shallow nature of the ground works no deposits or features of archaeological interest were encountered. The removal of the modern turf and shallow topsoil exposed a sandy silt deposit which appears to represent dumped quarry waste which has been used to level parts of the site. {Source Work 5302.}

2004 A programme of archaeological recording was undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology during groundworks associated with the extension and widening of a path and the excavation of associated 'soakaways' at Cirencester Amphitheatre. No features or deposits of archaeological interest were observed during groundworks and no artefactual material predating the modern period was recovered. {Source Work 16304.}

2006 - The Post Roman use of the amphitheatre site at Cirencester is noted in connection with the then current excavations at Chester. The defensibility of such a situation for occupation or refuge is noted in the walling-up of the entrance ways. {Source Work 10926.}

2019 "Geophysical survey was conducted at the Roman Amphitheatre, in Cirencester (Gloucestershire) on winter 2019. The survey was completed on the 7th of January and formed two grids of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey. This is the first GPR survey conducted within this amphitheatre and results show a number of anomalies showing possible archaeological features and also confirming the location and damage of previous archaeological excavations. These previous excavations also help to interpret the GPR data, especially in the case of further pits/post holes indicating a number of structures within the interior of the amphitheatre. " {Quoted from Source Work 17711.}

AREA ASSESSMENT: -

No plough damage.

A secondary source on the OS card at No.4 reads A. Mo. Eng & Wales, 1953, 46 and cannot be located further (AM 19/11/1999).

"(SP 02000137) Roman Amphitheatre (1) The amphitheatre is situated southwest of the Roman town walls, on the probable line of the Fosse Way. It survives as an oval earthwork with the arena entrances clearly visible. Excavations took place in the 19th century and the 1960s; the latter excavations concentrated on part of the arena and one of the entrances. The amphitheatre was constructed during the early second century AD within an earlier Roman quarry. It was oval in plan with a central arena measuring 49 metres by 41 metres. The arena floor had a sand and fine gravel surface and was enclosed by earthen seating banks, with an entrance situated at each end of the long axis. The seating banks were up to 30 metres wide and retained by timber and drystone walls. Each bank comprised a series of shallow terraces, retained by a drystone wall, which probably carried seats of wooden planks. The amphitheatre was later reinforced with masonry walls and the outer 21 metres of the entrance passage was vaulted to provide additional seating. By the later second century the arena was rebuilt and two small rooms flanking the entrance to the arena further took place. These have been interpreted as prisons or cages for holding criminals or wild animals. One of the rooms may have also contained a shrine. Excavations indicate that the amphitheatre was out of use by the third or early fourth century when the eastern entrance was demolished and metalled surfaces had been laid. It is possible this was the site of an extra-mural market. Further activity dating to the fifth or sixth century included the restoration of the entrance, additional street metalling and construction of a large timber framed building within the arena. Outside the amphitheatre quarrying also took place. One of the quarry ditches has been interpreted as a possible defensive ditch, giving rise to the hypothesis that the amphitheatre was used as a fortified retreat. (2-6) Guide book on Cirencester Amphitheatre includes a history of the site and plan. (7) The amphitheatre has been recorded as part of the South Cotswolds NMP (8-10). This sources contains a short description and various images including a reconstruction of the amphitheatre. (11)." {Source Work 4249.}