Amphitheater in Nimes

Nimes Arenas. Panoramic shot.

Amphitheater (Arena) Nimes ( Fr. Arènes de Nîmes ) - Roman amphitheater located in the French city ​​of Nimes . In 1840 it was included in the first list of historical monuments in France .

The arena was erected in the 1st century BC. e. (possibly under the emperor Domitian ) modeled on the Roman Colosseum . The amphitheater was 133 m long, 101 m wide and 21 m high; the dimensions of the major and minor axis of the elliptical arena are 69 and 38 m, respectively. She could receive up to 25,000 spectators. In Nemaus (ancient Nimes) there was a school of gladiators ; preserved numerous graffiti with their names and information about the battles. In the arena, battles of prisoners sentenced to death were fought, also here you could see the battle of gladiators and animals. The audience was amused by the sight of tearing down the defeated fighters by wild animals.

During the Great Migration, the structure began to be used as a fortress; hundreds of residents found refuge inside the amphitheater. In 673, the fortified amphitheater stormed Vamba , king of the Visigoths , crushing the rebellion of his vassals Childeric and Flavius ​​Paul ^[1] .

In the Middle Ages, the use of the arena as a castle continued: from the 12th century the Viscount of Nymsky was here, whose vassals bore the title of “Knights of the Arena” ^[2] . With the entry of Languedoc into France, the amphitheater lost its defense significance, but until the end of the 18th century people continued to live inside it: there were residential buildings, markets and even churches. In 1786, the inhabitants of the arenas were evicted, and the internal buildings were demolished; The restoration of the building began. The original appearance to him returned only to the middle of the XIX century .

Since 1853, the amphitheater has been used for Camargue races , bullfights , as well as other entertainment events. Nowadays, there are concerts of music groups.