The Arena of Nīmes was constructed in the time of Emperor Augustus.
As the Empire fell, the amphitheater was fortified by the Visigoths and surrounded by a wall. During the turbulent years that followed the collapse of Visigoth power
in Hispania and Septimania, not to mention the Muslim invasion
and subsequent reconquest by the French kings in the early eighteenth century,
the viscounts of Nīmes constructed a fortified palace within the amphitheater.
Later a small neighborhood developed within its confines,
complete with one hundred denizens and two chapels.
Seven hundred people lived within the amphitheater during the apex of its service as an enclosed community.




This photo is part of my visual diary about my trip to Nīmes.
If you feel like seeing the whole gallery, please...