Les Arènes (an amphitheatre). The amphitheatre is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in existence. It was probably built in the 1st century AD, possibly around 1 AD. It has an elliptical configuration measuring 440 by 330 feet and 69 feet high and built of large stones from a nearby quarry, put together without mortar. It sat around 24,000 spectators. Its exterior has a double row of 60 arches surmounted by an attic. It was originally constructed for gladiatorial shows, chariot races, and naval spectacles. In the 5th century, it was used as a fortress by the Visigoths. In the Middle Ages houses and a church were built inside it. In 1809 it was cleared of buildings and is now used for coridas (bloodless bullfights). It is used all year round since the installation of a removable roof - a recent century replacement of the original Roman awnings.

Photograph of the arene at Nimes courtesy of Galen R Frysinger

La Maison Carrée (literally The Square House. The famous Maison Carrée, a temple, was built in a Greek style during the 1st century AD as . It is a rectangular structure measuring 82 feet long by 40 feet wide. It now houses a museum of Roman sculpture. It was originally dedicated to Gaius and Lucius Caesar, the adopted sons of the emperor Augustus. It is one of the most beautiful monuments built by the Romans in Gaul, and certainly the best preserved, despite having been used, over the years, as a stable, a church, a town hall, and a museum. It now houses a collection of Roman sculptures.

In medieval times it was vandalised, like so many other ancient monuments, by the Church. In the 11th century a chapel was added to the North facade. The Maison Carrée itself was used as a town hall for the consuls of the town. The chapel was destroyed during the Wars of Religion. The maison was sold and converted into private residences and a stable. Augustinian monks bought it in 1673. An Augustinian convent was built onto it to the West, possibly to Christianise it. Fortunately the local authorities prevented them from completely destroying it and they had to be content with setting up a church inside the cella, and digging a cemetery under the building. In 1789 it was expropriated by the Revolutionary government, used as a granary and then sold off as a "bien national". During the nineteenth century it was used by the Prefecture du Gard, then it served as a repository for archives, and then became a museum in 1823. A large theatre was built to the west of the Maison Carrée. All this was cleared away in the twentieth century and the building was converted into a public library and museum of contemporary art.

Photograph of the La Maison Carée at Nimes courtesy of Galen R Frysinger		Photograph of the La Maison Carée at Nimes courtesy of Galen R Frysinger

The Romans were careful in their selection of stone. The podium and stairs are made of limestone from the local Roquemaillère quarry while the slabs of the stylobate are made of stone from the local Barutel quarry on the road to Arlès. A softer stone was needed for the carvings on the capitals, frieze, columns, bases, architraves and cornices. For this the Romans had to bring stone from Bois de Lens about 12 miles away. Another stone, soft limestone from Sernhac and Beaucaire, was used for the internal walls and substructure.

Photograph of the La Maison Carée at Nimes courtesy of Galen R Frysinger		Photograph of the La Maison Carée at Nimes courtesy of Galen R Frysinger

The Tour Magne is an octagonal tower dating (probably) from the 1st century BC, once part of the Roman fortifications. It is on top of a hill just outside the city, and is the city's oldest Roman building. It is 92 ft high, probably taller originally. From it you get a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. Its precise function is not known. It was incorporated into the Roman wall in 16 BC.

Reservoir. Not far from the Tour Magne is a reservoir. This was the source of the water carried by the great Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct. Water was distributed throughout the town.

Jardin de la Fontaine. Located on the edge of the city is Jardin de la Fontaine, which was designed in 1745. The fountain, and the canals that flow through it, are partly Roman.

The Archeological Museum, which is housed in a former Jesuit college, has a fine collection of Roman objects, as well as some Iron Age artifacts.

Cathedral. The llth century Cathedral of Saint Castor.

Museums of fine art and local history are both worth a visit. Exhibitions take place at the “Carré d’Art” Museum of Contemporary Art, a structure of glass and steel designed by Sir Norman Foster (Now Lord Foster). It overlooks the site of the old Roman forum.

Porte d'Auguste. It it is through this gate that the Via Domitia entered Nîmes from the East. The central passageways were for chariots, the smaller side one for pedestrians.

The house where Alphonse Daudet was born.