238 C.E. is the best date Hector can find for the construction of this masterpiece. With a seating capacity in excess of 30,000 something eerie became very apparent whilst sitting in the reconstructed seats. The proximity to the arena where the activities took place would have been such that there would not have been a bad seat in the house. One could imagine that it would have been possible to identify every single person in the crowd such was the intimacy of the elliptical design. The Security Chaps would have had an easy job picking out any stray members of the PFJ.
Located some 60km south of Sousse there are may ways of travelling to El Jem. These are discussed – here!
For the residents, a few make a living from Stalls and Cafes in the immediate vicinity of the Coliseum. The majority have their own lives and probably turn a blind eye to the daily visitors.