Little is known about the immediate surroundings of the amphitheatre. Excavation before the Second World War on the Telephone Exchange site to the north (Newstead 1939, 9) revealed the usual evidence from the eastern canabae legionis (the civilian settlement east of the fortress) of low-grade structures and small-scale industry. There is also evidence of occupation from the lower terraces to the south of the amphitheatre, although this has not been published.
Question 1: what was the nature of Roman period occupation in the immediate environs of the amphitheatre?
On to the questions dealing with the plans and construction of the Roman buildings