The Amphitheatre of El Jem could seat 35,000 spectators. Only the Colosseum in Rome (seating about 50,000 spectators) and the ruined theater of Capua were larger. The amphitheater at El Djem was built by the Romans under proconsul Gordian, who was acclaimed emperor at Thysdrus around 238 A.D. and was mainly used for gladiator shows and small-scale chariot races.  Until the 17th century, it remained more or less whole but from then on its stones were used for building the nearby village of El Djem and transported to the Great Mosque in Kairouan.  Ruins of the amphitheater were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.  And this old, unused sepia card shows how things were more than 100 years ago.  Grade: 2