Arles Amphitheatre

About

The Arles Amphitheatre (Arènes d'Arles, Occitan: Amfiteatre d'Arles) is a Roman amphitheatre in Arles, southern France. Two-tiered, it is likely the most prominent tourist attraction in the city which thrived in ancient Rome. The towers jutting out from the top are medieval add-ons. Built in 90 AD, the amphitheatre held over 20,000 spectators of chariot races and bloody hand-to-hand battles. Nowadays, it draws smaller crowds for bullfighting during the Feria d'Arles, as well as plays and concerts in summer. In 1981, Arles Amphitheatre was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with other Roman and medieval buildings of the city, as part of the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.