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Nimes Arena

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The Nîmes Arena is the best preserved amphitheatre of the Roman era. Visit this impressive monument built under Emperor Augustus in the 1st century A.D. An audio-guided tour and the gladiators’ section will enable you to relive the Roman games of ancient times. The Maison Carrée is the only completely preserved Roman temple in the world. Do not miss the 3D film shown on a giant screen inside. From the top of the Magne Tower, discover a stunning view over the city of Nîmes.

An exceptional amphitheatre

The Nîmes Arena dates back to the end of the 1st century AD and is a perfect illustration of the degree of perfection attained by Roman engineers in designing and constructing this type of extremely complex building. It is oval in shape, and measures 133m long, 101m wide and 21m high.
Two quarries, Barutel and Roquemaillère (located near the town), were used to supply the stones for the construction.

The façade consists of two levels of sixty superposed arches and an attic, separated by a cornice. At the top, pre-drilled stones were positioned to overhang so that long poles could be positioned over the arena. A huge canvas canopy was then attached to these poles, thereby providing protection for the spectators against the sun and bad weather.

On top of one of the bays, we can see the fore-body parts of two bulls with their legs folded either side of the arch. Those on the upper level, which are better preserved, bear a triangular pediment. This bay, which faces the town, offered direct access to the lower terraces opposite the small end of the arena.

Another decoration in low-relief, located on one of the pilasters opposite the “Palais du Justice” (Law Courts), shows a she-wolf giving milk to two children, Romulus and Remus, the mythical founders of Rome. Unlike the Roman version, the Nîmes she-wolf is looking towards the children.

Description of the amphitheatre and the underground area

Once inside, there was seating capacity for nearly 24,000 spectators thanks to the 34 rows of “cavea” (terraces), which were supported by semi-circular vaults.
Under these vaults, five circular galleries and 162 stairwells and “vomitoires” (corridors leading to the terraces) enabled spectators to rapidly access their seats. The games, gladiator fights and Venatio (animal hunts) were open to everyone. They were laid on for the people of the town and its surrounding area by the high dignitaries and magistrates of the “civitas”.

Thanks to numerous inscriptions that are now preserved at the archaeological museum, we know, for example, that the boatmen of the Rhone and the Saone had seats reserved for their corporation.
The lowest terraces (the “imma cavea”) were reserved for the honestiores, i.e. the town’s dignitaries and important people.
The town’s citizens were seated in the intermediary terraces (the ‘media cavea’) and the ordinary people and slaves watched the combats from the upper terraces (the ‘summa cavea’).

The amphitheatre was designed so that everyone had an unrestricted view of the whole arena.
Several galleries were located beneath the arena, and were accessed by trap doors and a hoist-lift system. As a result, the decorative effects, animals and gladiators could access the arena during the games.

 

The audio-guided and illustred tour

The visitor passes through the terraces to the interior galleries via the arena (the sand-covered central area), and consequently has an overall view of the architecture and the history of the Nîmes Arena. The tour follows in the footsteps of the original spectators, and visitors therefore have the chance to take a seat in the terraces, and imagine the shudders of the huge crowd engrossed in the gladiator combats.

The audioguide is an essential medium for discovering the Arena, as it provides details of the history of the buildings, and brings the ancient stones back to life… the visitor, in fact, hears all the lively sounds of the era, such as trumpets and conversations etc. Thanks to the audioguide, the entertainment continues to live on.

The audioguide is interactive and can be controlled at different levels, making it possible to visit the site in complete independence at one’s own pace, whatever the visitor’s time of arrival, nationality or focus of interest.
The system is available in eight languages (French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese), and is very flexible, light, easy to handle and takes up very little space. It is currently the best system available for personalising the tour. All visitors are consequently provided with the services of a personal guide, proposing a fascinating commentary on the architecture of the Arena and the captivating history of the entertainment through from ancient Rome to the current day.

Large format illustrations have recently been added to the tour. The “Gladiators’ Gallery” on the principal walkway illustrates the different types of gladiators, each specialising in a specific form of combat, and each carrying specific weapons, such as the Samnite, Secutor, Hoplomachus, Thrace, Mirmillo, Retiarius etc…

The Gladiator section – "The Gladiators' quarters"

This new multimedia section plunges the visitor into the atmosphere of the gladiators’ quarters..

The Gladiators quarters :The visitor discovers the equipment of the gladiators (weapons, shields, helmets) and can observe a gladiator in behaviour, ready to leave to the combat.

The optic theatre :The visitor then attends a demonstrati
on of combat virtual and alive between a Retiarius and a Secutor within the reconstituted framework of the Arenas.

The films : Three short films present combat of gladiators:

The Tauromachy section : "Colours of the corrida", This is a scenographical section that allows visitors to admire the glittering costumes worn by the toreros and matadors,

The visitor is swept up in the aesthetic emotion of a bullfight and is consequently given a better perspective of this ancestral sport.

The "suit of lights"

· The visitor can admire the splendid behaviours of the bullfighters and matadors, genuine "suit of lights".

· The visitor discovers the full-length portraits of 5 famous bullfighters and the specific master keys of the bullfights.

· A film on large screen present of the images turned at the time of the last feria nîmoise, while are projected on three screens of films on the races camarguaises, the herds local and the bullfights with horse.

 

The Square House РThe film "Heroes of N̨mes" : An exceptionally preserved temple

The inspiration for the design of the Square House came from the temples of Apollo and Mars Ultor in Rome. It is essentially the balance of proportions that is behind its outstanding beauty. The “Maison Carrée” is the only ancient temple to have been completely preserved; it is 26 metres long, 15m wide and 17m high. The Square House is an expression of the new regime introduced by Augustus. He, of course, played the central role, with all the power now in the hands of one man, and he surrounded himself with his imperial family and created new sites for the staging of special events and to serve as an expression of the public authority. Monuments, inscriptions, statues, portraits and architectural decor individually represent the actions and evolution of the new regime. The Square House in Nîmes, which bore a gilded inscription mentioning the names of the two young children adopted by Augustus, was part of this new political state of affairs. Temple, stable, church…The Square House owes its exceptional degree of preservation to its uninterrupted occupation since the 11th century. It has since served as a consular house, stables, appartments and even as a church. After the French Revolution, it became the headquarters for the first prefecture of the Gard region, and was then transformed into departmental archives.

 

A EXTRAORDINARY FILM IN RELIEF!

Inside the Square House, the multimedia “spectacle” plunges the visitor into Nîmes’ heroic past thanks to the usage of the most cutting-edge resources. This is an experience that transports the visitor back into the very heart of the ancient town. Visitors are given special glasses to watch the giant panoramic screen, which immerses the visitor into the daily life of an inhabitant of Nîmes during the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages or during the contemporary festivals. The 20-minute film is focused around an “augur”, a major ceremony held in the ancient Roman temples. During a divination ritual, a “Haruspex” conjures up the images of several of Nîmes’ different heroes. The gladiators of the initial eras are replaced by the sporting excitement of the tournaments, the discovery of the Pont du Gard, and the visual beauty of a torero’s gestures.

Images flow seamlessly out of the screen and the room is engulfed by sound, eliminating all borders between space and time. The visitor becomes one of the heroes of Nîmes and the Square House becomes a temporal doorway into the past and into the history of Nîmes. This film offers visitors to Nîmes 20 minutes of wonderful entertainment, brimming with emotion and action. This film was produced by AMAK, a company specialising in 3D films, which has created and produced several 3D films, notably for Vulcania.

The Magne Tower : an unforgettable panorama!

Roman Nîmes and Nîmes today : There is a magnificent panoramic view over Nîmes from the top of this Tower, and the visitor can see the town as it was in the Roman era thanks to a large display board.

An element of the old enclosure :The “Tour Magne”, otherwise known as the “Grande Tour”, is the only tower from the original town built by Augustus to be still standing. It is located on the Mont Cavalier, the
town’s highest point. It overlooks the whole plain and is a focal point for all means of communication.
The tower was originally a dry-stone oval tower similar to that of the neighbouring oppidum of Nages, with a maximum height of 18m and already part of a rampart.
By doubling its height and incorporating it into the town walls, Augustus marked the new power of the colony of Nîmes over the “City” (in the territorial sense) of the Volques.

A look-out point over the Voie Domitia :When the town’s population abandoned the higher ground, the “Tour Magne” nevertheless continued to play a military role. It was used in the defence against the English during the Hundred Years’ War.

The Magne Tower was part of the ancient ramparts and served as a look-out point over the Via Domitia (which linked Italy with Spain). Indeed, the tower played an essential role in the life of the Roman City.

New historical explanations : In order to provide a full explanation of the importance of this monument and its historical role, banners and cultural information boards have been erected, which focus on the theme of the Via Domitia

LODGING

See the listing of the Hotels in Nimes 

PRACTICAL INFORMATIONS

Location : Half an hour from Orange

Fifteen minutes from the Pont du Gard

45 minutes from the Palais des Papes or Baux de Provence

Access:

Motorway A9, exit “Nîmes – centre ville” (town centre), then follow signs for the “Arènes”

Parking: Drop-off allowed near the monuments. Free coach parkingVisiting options:

Independent tours
You visit the “Arènes” with the aid of an audioguide, given free to each visitor and available in 8 languages (French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese).

The audioguide: a fascinating tour

The audioguide is an essential medium for discovering the “Arènes”, as it provides details of the history of the buildings, and brings the ancient stones back to life… the visitor, in fact, hears all the lively sounds of the era, such as trumpets and conversations etc. Thanks to the audioguide, the entertainment continues to live on.
The audioguide is interactive and can be controlled at different levels, making it possible to visit the site in complete independence at one’s own pace, whatever the visitor’s time of arrival, nationality or focus of interest.
The system is available in eight languages (French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese), and is very flexible, light, easy to handle and takes up very little space. It is currently the best system available for personalising the tour. All visitors are consequently provided with the services of a personal guide, proposing a fascinating commentary on the architecture of the “Arènes” and the captivating history of the entertainment through from ancient Rome to the current day.

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