Amphithéâtre
MonumentHidden Treasure
Amphithéâtre, located in Périgueux (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Périgueux, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.1828, 0.7133
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082724
Vestige majeur of ancient Vesunna, the amphitheatre of Périgueux is one of the largest in Roman Gaul, capable of accommodating more than 20,000 spectators at the heart of a prosperous city of the 2nd century.
History
Partly buried beneath the gardens and streets of Périgueux, the Vesunna amphitheatre is one of the most eloquent testimonies to the Romanisation of Aquitaine. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1840 - one of the very first buildings to benefit from this protection in France - it illustrates the architectural ambition of a Gallo-Roman city at its apogee. With an ellipse measuring around 162 metres long and 130 metres wide, it is one of the largest amphitheatres known in Gaul, rivalling those of Nîmes and Arles for the scale of its design. Its cavea, dug partly into the natural ground and supported by powerful masonry embankments, could hold crowds of 15,000 to 20,000 people who came to watch the gladiatorial games, the venationes - men fighting wild animals - and the public shows that punctuated Roman civic life. Today, the amphitheatre can be explored in the Arenas gardens, a green space laid out in the 19th century that envelops the sections of wall still standing in romantic vegetation. Broken arches, layers of limestone rubble and fragments of ochre plaster rise up from the trees, creating an atmosphere of inhabited ruin that the Périgord people have made their own. It's a timeless stroll, a blend of archaeology and gentle melancholy. The site forms part of a coherent heritage itinerary with the nearby Vesunna Gallo-Roman Museum, designed by Jean Nouvel above an excavated domus, and the Tour de Vésone, the imposing cella of the city's tutelary temple. Together, these three monuments form the face of a first-rate ancient city, the memory of which Périgueux retains intact beneath its medieval streets.
Architecture
The amphitheatre at Périgueux adopts the canonical elliptical plan of Roman amphitheatres, with a large ellipse estimated at around 162 metres along its long axis and 130 metres along its short axis, giving it a surface area comparable to the major entertainment venues in the provincial Roman world. The central oval arena was sandblasted and surrounded by a podium to protect the spectators in the front rows from the dangers of the fights. The cavea was based on a mixed system typical of Gallo-Roman amphitheatres from the Antonine period: the lower tiers were dug into a compacted earth fill, while the upper levels were built on vaults and radiating arches in local limestone masonry. This blonde-coloured Périgord limestone formed the bulk of the facing, assembled with a high-quality lime mortar. Some of the finer elements - window surrounds, cornices - could be rendered in ochre or Pompeian red. The remains that can still be seen in the gardens of the Arenas feature fragments of raised walls, in some cases up to ten metres high, with semicircular arches characteristic of the corridors and vomitories through which the crowds flowed. The interior was organised around concentric galleries, with boxes of honour reserved for magistrates and priests, as well as underground cages and backstage areas for wild animals and gladiators.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, il inscrit l'amphithéâtre parmi les premiers monuments classés de France en 1840Trajan (98-117 ap. J.-C.) — sous son règne débute la grande phase de construction monumentale à VesunnaHadrien (117-138 ap. J.-C.) — empereur voyageur qui encourage partout en Gaule l'embellissement des cités provincialesAntonin le Pieux (138-161 ap. J.-C.) — période probable d'achèvement ou d'agrandissement de l'amphithéâtreJean Nouvel — architecte contemporain qui a conçu le musée Vesunna voisin (2003), redonnant une visibilité internationale au patrimoine antique périgourdin
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Amphithéâtre located?
Amphithéâtre is located in Périgueux, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Amphithéâtre open to visitors?
Amphithéâtre is currently closed to visitors.