Occide, verbera, ure! 'Kill him, Flog him, Burn him Alive!' (Seneca Epistles 7); The popularity, extent and duration of Roman Spectacula on Crete

Purpose-built amphitheatres, as an architectural type, have always been instantly recognisable as Roman. The amphitheatre represents an exclusively Roman architectural medium, serving as a vehicle for reinforcing Roman social order throughout provincial contexts and thereby affecting cultural transition.