Arena of Nîmes

The Arena of Nîmes is a Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, Southern France [1]. Built around 100 AD, only about twenty years after the Colosseum of Rome, it is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world [1]. It is 133 metres long and 101 metres wide, with an arena measuring 68 by 38 metres [1]. The outer facade is 21 metres high with two storeys of 60 arcades [1]. In Roman times, the building could hold 24,000 spectators, who were spread over 34 tiers of terraces divided into four self-contained zones or maeniana [1]. During Roman times, the Arena of Nîmes functioned as an arena where gladiators battled each other and wild animals [1]. The advent of early medieval Christianity marked the end of these events, prompting the transformation of the amphitheater into a fortress and subsequently a walled town [1]. The 19th century saw the restoration of the arena, accompanied by the removal of houses that had been constructed inside it [1].