The amphitheater is directly exposed to bad weather because of its architecture. In Antiquity, most of the rainwater falling on the amphitheater ran off on the surface down the seating, corridors and staircases. The rest was evacuated by pipes built into the masonry or oriented toward a drainage pipe located under the lower tier of seating. This drainage pipe still exists and functions, but the drainage system has been considerably disturbed by the disappearance of a large part of the constructions of the cavea. Instead of running off on the seating, the rain infiltrates the structure, stagnates and circulates in the masonry, which is now exposed due to the lack of vaults and tiered seating.
© City of Nîmes | Universcience | INRAP - 2015
