Amphitheater of Nîmes, Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, France
The Amphitheater of Nîmes is a Roman arena in the center of this southern French city, built with two stories of 60 arches each. The outer walls rise roughly 21 meters and enclose an oval floor where gladiator fights and animal hunts once took place.
Construction started around the year 90, following the model of the Colosseum in Rome. During the Middle Ages the site became a fortress and later a residential quarter before being cleared and restored in the 19th century.
The name derives from colonia Nemausus, which marked the Roman settlement. Twice a year the building hosts bullfights where sand covers the floor and crowds fill the stone seats as they have for centuries.
The entrance is on the east side, and the upper level offers a clear view of the whole building. Visitors who feel uncomfortable in tight spaces should know that some corridors are narrow and low.
Below the seating rows run passages called vomitoria in Latin, which once allowed roughly 24,000 people to flow in and out within minutes. This system was remarkably advanced for its time and prevented crowding during large events.
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