Roman Arles and the Camargue

Arles boasts some amazing Roman ruins, two of which we viewed today.  The largest are the theater and nearby amphitheater.  The theater was built in the first century BC and could accommodate 10,000 spectators.  The tiered seating had three levels, each limited to various classes (nobility and military, Roman citizens, the rest).  Elaborate performances with special effects were highly popular.

Amphitheater

The larger amphitheater could seat 21,000, was built around 90 AD, and was used for gladiator contests and other games. Both theaters had canvas shades which could be pulled out against the sun. The stonework in both these ruins has recently been cleaned. We later learned that in the middle ages a town grew up in the amphitheater.  When excavation started in 1830, 600 houses and two churches had to be demolished.

For our third Roman experience we headed to the Arles Museum of Antiquity, a large modern 1995 building covering mainly Roman Arles and containing a huge selection of artifacts--sculpture, mosaics, models, everyday items, and the highlight for us--the Arles-Rhone 3--a 30 foot long Roman barge discovered in 2010, raised and conserved (a difficult task with submerged wood) and put on display two years ago. This museum was one of the best we have visited.

Aigues-Mortes

Arles lies at the head of the Camargue, a vast flat natural area between the two arms of the Rhone and the Mediterranean.  It is famous for its Camargue white horses, black bulls, and flamingoes.  Little is grown here except rice and much of the land consists of brine lagoons.  Two towns dot the area and we stopped at both--Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer, the larger and a seaside beach community, and Aigues-Mortes, a fortified town whose walls date to 1240 when Louis IX needed access to the sea for launching troops for the Crusades. (Earlier in 791, Charlemagne erected a tower here for the protection of fishermen and salt workers--and we noticed the large salt piles near town).  We headed back to Arles but took a final side trip that brought us through the most remote part of the Camargue.