The exterior of the arena

The architect and painter Charles-Louis Clérisseau (1721-1820) was passionate about antiquity, and published an impressive collection of prints of the Roman monuments of Nîmes in 1804. His drawing of the amphitheater gives us an idea of the outer appearance of the Arena when it was inhabited: the houses were built in the arches or leaning against the monument. The level of the ground around the monument was much higher in antiquity than today.

Antiquités de la France, 1804, Carré d’Art Bibliothèques,© Ville de Nîmes