Arena is also the largest and well-preserved monument of ancient architecture in Croatia constructed in the mid-1st century B.C. The legend claims that the Amphitheatre in Pula was built by Emperor Vespasian honoring his mistress Antonia Cenida who owned estates in Pula.

The Amphitheatre in its present shape was actually built during the period of Titus Flavius Vespasian’s rule (69-79 A.D.). However, it is presumed that another similar but smaller building existed on the same site as early as the rule of Emperor Augustus at the beginning of the 1st century, which was subsequently enlarged and completely constructed in stone by the Flavii family (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitianus). In fact, some parts had originally been built of wood.

At the time, the amphitheatre in Pula could seat as many as up to 20.000 spectators who could watch gladiatorial or similar fights from the stone steps surrounding the entire central flat area- arena. The fights were usually organized by state officials for entertainment and dance as part of the state policy panem et circenses ("bread and games"), meaning that the distribution of grain, wine and similar, and entertainment on the other hand were meant to divert the attention of common people from their everyday problems.

The very name "amphitheatre" denotes its shape of double theatre, double semicircular auditorium of the Roman and the Greek theatre. In fact, the layout is elliptic with the longer north-south axis 130 meters long and the shorter east-west axis about 100 meters long.

The external wall comprises 72 arched openings both at ground level and on the first floor, while the second floor is articulated in square openings. Blocs are connected with iron rods cast with lead. In the period after the fall of the Roman Empire and the general decline of development and civilization, iron rods were massively extracted from ancient buildings and the stone blocs were used for the construction of houses and other facilities.

Fortunately, the Arena in Pula was nevertheless preserved as the heritage of future generations...