I went to Arles once again today with my school.  I wrote a report for my art history course on the architectural aspects of Arles.  Here it is so that you can learn more about the ancient Roman ruins!
Arles is an incredibly magnificent French city that is abounding in Roman ruins from the 4th century.  In fact, according to DK Eyewitness Travel: Provence & Cote d’Azur, Arles was once a Greek site, and then it was expanded by the Romans.  It also known as “little Rome.”  The known Roman ruins in Arles are Arènes, Theatre Antique, and Thermes de Constantin.
The Arènes, also called the amphitheatre, is one of the biggest, best-preserved Roman monuments in Provence, according to DK Eyewitness Travel: Provence & The Cote d’Azur.  The Arènes is used to show bullfights and sports games, and it was once used for gladiatorial fights before 400 A.D. The amphitheater can seat more than 20,000 spectators.  During the early Middle Ages, it was used as a fortress so that it could constitute a system of defense, according to Michelin: Provence.  Since the amphitheatre was almost destroyed as the material from the amphitheater was taken to build houses and chapels, the excavation and restoration began in 1825.
The architectural structure of the Arènes is a true representation of the Ancient Roman architecture as there are arcades, engaged columns and pilasters.  Engaged columns are semicircular columns.  They can easily be seen on the top row of the Arènes.  A pilaster is a slightly projecting flattened column built into the wall.  Pilasters can be seen on the bottom row of the Arènes.   An arcade is a series of arches supporting a wall.  There are arcades on both rows surrounding the Arènes.  Thus, the arcades are used to support the walls of the Arènes.
Theatre Antique, another Roman site in Arles, was built during Augustus’ reign, which was around 27 – 25 B.C. according to Michelin: Provence.  Unlike the Arènes, this theater is used for plays and concerts.   Unfortunately, this site is much more badly damaged than the amphitheater as the stones were used for other buildings and other functions, such as a quarry for the construction of churches.  It was also transformed into a temporary fortification, specifically called redoubt, in 9th century.  Then, it was once under the ground, and it was excavated from 1827-1855. The seating capacity is 12,000.
The architectural structure is a very typical ancient Roman design like the amphitheater.  There are two columns that rest in the middle of the field and it’s called the “two windows,” according to DK Eyewitness Travel: Provence & Cote d’Azur.  They were the stage walls.  These two columns are classified as Corinthian order as there are rich details on the capitals.  To be specific about the rich details, there are stylized acanthus leaves on the capitals.
The roman baths, which is specifically called les Thermes de Constantin is another Roman remain in Arles.  It was part of Constantine’s Palace. This bath was a complex of several buildings.  The facility of the Roman bath consisted of the pools, the hot rooms, cold and warm baths, a gymnasium, and a ventilation system to circulate the hot air.
The architecture is slightly different from the Arènes and the Theatre Antique as there are bricks throughout the area, including on the arches.  There are also blocks of limestone. Stripes of reds and light brown on the walls give a sense of harmony.  There is a section that has a huge hemisphere ceiling, and it has three windows with arches on the top.  Many of the doors are shaped like an arch.
Arles is a city that offers incredible sites to gain the understanding of the way of life of the Romans.  The the Arènes, the Theatre Antique, and les Thermes de Constantin represent as a great example of Roman architecture that people can see and learn at first-hand.

To view the pictures of Arles, please see my previous entry.