Amphitheatrum Arelatense
About
Raised around 90 CE under Domitian, not long after the Colosseum in Rome, Arles's amphitheater measures 136 by 107 meters across two levels of arcades, 60 arches below and 34 above, and could hold roughly 20,000 spectators for gladiatorial combat, beast hunts, and public executions. Arelate's wealth as a Roman colony and river port on the Rhone funded a building program on a scale that rivaled cities twice its size. Fully active and staging games in 117 CE.
What happened here
Doors open early and the programme runs all day. Morning is animal hunts, staged with scenery hauled up through trapdoors from the corridors below. Midday is executions, and it is the hour when the seats thin out and people go for lunch. The afternoon is the gladiators, matched by type and record like boxers, refereed, and stopped when a man raises a finger. Most fights are not to the death — a trained fighter is expensive — but a decision can go the other way and the crowd is consulted. Seating is strictly by rank: officials at the front, women at the top. Awnings are worked by sailors detailed for the job. Sand is spread thick and replaced between shows, and the whole building smells of it.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →