Abandonment of the Cruciform Room 1b
To abandon a unit that was as complex and important for the smooth operation of shows,
there must have been a problem in terms of how it was functioning.
We can still see the issue today since we are fortunate to be able to enter it.
In fact, the entire unit is plagued by problems linked to water management.
On the one hand, from below--the floor of the underground rooms is very close
to the level of the water table under the amphitheater.
In winter, when the water table is the highest,
water seeps into the underground rooms.
As soon as the water floods these areas
we can imagine that this must have negatively affected the operations of this unit.
On the other hand, we must also reason from above:
given that the unit was built at a later date,
after the construction of the amphitheater,
the entire rainwater harvesting system had to be redesigned.
In particular, a drain pipe that went around the arena floor
and collected a large amount of the rainwater that fell on the monument.
Building these underground rooms disrupted that system.
It's highly likely--at least that's what is shown by the research conducted up until today--
that, as a result, all the rainwater that used to flow into this drain
started flowing into the underground rooms.
And that, if that's truly the case,
which we will have to demonstrate through additional research
that must have completely disrupted the normal utilization of these underground rooms.
Which explains why they were prematurely abandoned. 24b
Restoration of the Cruciform Room
The restoration of this ensemble was decided on when the main discovery was made
in the 1860s
when a true excavation was undertaken to unearth this entire unit.
It turns out that the walls you see are very well preserved
almost up to the level of the arena floor.
But their entire length was not preserved.
They were interrupted in their extension
for a reason that remains unknown today,
but which followed the definitive abandonment of this underground system.
That is, at a time when it was decided to block it off,
and therefore to fill it in. Before it was filled in,
as is often the case in this type of construction, already in antiquity,
they most likely decided to salvage some of the materials
so they could be reused.
Only the two main arcades on the large and the small axes,
which were preserved, have been restored.
Which explains the shape of the room today in the form of a cross. 41b
Inscriptions in the Cruciform Room
Two inscriptions have been preserved in the Cruciform Room.
They are identical, and read:
T CRISPIUS REBURRUS FECIT,
which means: Made by Titus Crispius Reburrus.
We must interpret this inscription as if it were that of an important figure
who contributed definitely and in an important way
to the construction of this ensemble.
The question is to understand if this person contributed only
to the construction and layout of the underground rooms or if he contributed or played a role
in the construction of the entire amphitheater.
Today, we are not sure.
It may be the name of the architect,
but it may also be the name of an important figure who financed or ordered the work to be completed.
Today, it's a subject that must still be elucidated.
and we cannot go any further in our interpretation of the inscription.