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Life
in Roman Sussex
The Towns
Social
Life in the city |
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| Social Life in the city | ||||||
 One
of the few major buildings to be excavated in Chichester was the public
bathhouse. All major towns throughout the empire would have had such facilities,
where the inhabitants could engage in bathing, exercise, and social intercourse
(see Entertainment).
The exact plan and development of the Chichester baths are not fully understood,
but they seem to have been built at a very early stage, and probably lasted,
albeit with many modifications, until Roman life-styles could no longer
be sustained in the 5th century AD.Aside from the bathhouse, another place for social discourse and entertainment would have been the amphitheatre. Chichester is one of the few Romano-British towns that has visual evidence for such a feature - lying just outside of the town to the south-east - although it has not been properly excavated. It was oval in shape and had a lowered floor, a stone retaining wall and surrounding earthen banks, which would have held timber seating for spectators. It was built c.AD 70-80, and probably lasted throughout most of the town's Roman administration, although the dating is inconclusive. For information on the type of activities that may have been seen in the amphitheatre, see 'Entertainment'. |
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The
Towns 
