The imposing Stadium and Gymnasium in Ancient Messina
The imposing Stadium and the Gymnasium with the Palestra (arena) are in contact with the fortified enclosure of the ancient city. They belong to the most impressive, in terms of conservation, building complexes. The Stadium was built around 200 BC. and was abandoned after 395 AD. It has a horseshoe shape with bleachers and staircases, the seats of the dignitaries and the numbering of the tiers in ancient Greek letters. It also consists of a Roman addition of a protective wall in the lower part since it had been turned into an arena in those years. The northern horseshoe-shaped part of the Stadium includes 18 stands with 18 rows of seats. It is surrounded by Doric arcades, the columns of which are mostly standing. The north arcade is double, while the east and west are simple. The arcades belong to the Gymnasium, which formed a single architectural ensemble with the Stadium. Teenagers were required by state law to attend High School for three years (from 18 to 21) under the supervision of a "High School Principal". Inscribed plinths between the columns of the western portico bore busts of Gymnasium principals, while many lists of juniors were found around.
To the west of Room XI, of the western entrance of the Gymnasium, the burial monument K3, with eight box-shaped tombs inside it, came to light. The surviving numerous architectural members of its superstructure show that it was in the form of a square chamber with a conical roof. At the top of the roof was a Corinthian column with bronze work attached to the surviving capital. The form of the monument is entirely unaccepted by Greek standards. Finally, on the lintel of the entrance, the names of the dead men and women who were honoured with this brilliant monument are preserved.
An integral element of the Stadium is the Heroon (monument), which had the form of a tetragonal Doric temple. It is on the south side of the Stadium, built on a rectangular pedestal which protrudes from the wall like a bastion. The temple-shaped building was a burial place and is a kind of hero-mausoleum. A personality with wealth to whom the Messenians (according to Pausanias) awarded hero honours was Messenian high priest and Greek ruler Saithidas. Therefore, it is certain that the Stadium's hero-mausoleum belonged to the powerful, economically and politically, Saithidas family. The prominent family members were buried in it from the founding of the Heroon (1st century AD) until at least the years of the visit of traveller Pausanias (155-160 AD)
The Palestra (arena) is in continuity and in contact with the southern end of the western entrance of the Gymnasium. It is a square peristyle building in Doric style, with twelve columns on each side. The Palestra was intended for the exercise of teenagers and athletes. In its centre, there is an outdoor courtyard surrounded by Doric arcades and auxiliary spaces. It is contemporary with the facilities of the Gymnasium (3rd century BC), and it continued to function until the late Roman period. Adolescent catalogues of the 2nd century AD have been engraved on two of the northern portico columns, with many names. On the west side of the inner courtyard, the foundations of a rectangular temple with a tiled floor and a roof gutter were revealed. In the middle of the floor, there is a statue pedestal that carried the marble torso of Herakles Kynagidas, the patron saint of teenage hunters.