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The
remains of some 75 amphitheatres have been located in widely scattered
areas of the Roman Empire. The amphitheatre in Caerleon is the
best preserved example in Britain.
Known probably since the Middle Ages as King Arthur's Round Table,
until 1926 it was a circular earthwork
enclosing a deep hollow.
The first excavations were carried out by
locals who dug trenches into the structure to recover stone
for building purposes. The huge volume of Roman stone used
in buildings in the village is evidence of such quarrying. Recycling
started centuries ago!
The Liverpool Committee for Excavation and Research in Wales and
the Marches carried out the first formal
excavations in 1909. They made some exciting discoveries and
found that the remains were well preserved.
In 1926, thanks to the sponsorship of the Daily Mail, work began
to uncover the amphitheatre by removing
30 000 tons of soil.
One of the most intriguing discoveries was 'The
Caerleon Curse'.
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