He helped to illustrate volume I of Antiquités de la France (Ancient Monuments of France) (Paris, 1778), in which there are numerous high quality plates of the Arena.
Born in Nîmes, and first of all a doctor who studied medicine at the University of Orange, he combined literary culture with the occupations of his job as a doctor. He published a History of the City of Nîmes (first edition, 1720), and wrote numerous works and treatises on fortifications, firearms, bridges, navigation canals, and the construction of roads.
In 1811-1812, all of the constructions inside the monument were destroyed and the amphitheater started to be cleared out. Then the excavation began, and the first restoration campaigns were conducted under the direction of Victor Grangent. The vaults and staircases were repaired, and the tiered stone seating was rebuilt.
Engineer from the famous Ponts et Chaussées institute
Born in Montpellier, he became a resident of Nîmes by choice. A brilliant young engineer who graduated in 1781, he was appointed official engineer of bridges and roads in the Gard Department in 1792. He built bridges and dykes and worked with Victor Grangent on the restoration of the amphitheater and the Maison Carrée. He completed many other projects in the Gard and in Nîmes (General Hospital, Court House, rue Auguste, Ruffi hospital, and several private mansions).
He was a traditional architect as well as a talented watercolor painter. He drafted an alignment plan for the city, as well as photo book Les monuments romains de Nîmes (The Roman Monuments of Nîmes) (Paris, 1818), featuring the amphitheater. He made a record of the excavations conducted in 1821-1822 around the Maison Carrée and made an overall reproduction of it.
Born in Saint Hippolyte du Fort, and a student at the Polytechnique engineering institute, he moved to Nîmes in 1822 as an architect to replace Charles Durand. He managed some urban operations in the city and was in charge of the land register. He assisted Charles Durand and Victor Grangent in drafting the 1819 work Description des Monuments antiques du midi de la France (Description of the Ancient Monuments of the South of France) in which the Arena is described.
A self-taught man from Alès, he had business activities linked to his passion for antiques. In 1820, the Prefect of the Gard, Villiers de Terrage put him in charge of overseeing the excavation work around the Maison Carrée, and transformed this simple sergeant major of the empire into an archeology enthusiast.
Having witnessed the first clearing operations of the houses that cluttered the inside of the amphitheater, he was appointed excavation manager in 1822.
In 1840, he published Lettres sur Nîmes et le Midi : Histoire et description des monuments antiques du Midi de la France (Letters on Nîmes and the South of France: History and Description of Ancient Monuments in the South of France)..
Writer, historian and archeologist, he published a text to criticize the restoration of the Arena: "The Arena is no longer cluttered by all kinds of shacks and now occupies the center of a vast square, where we can see the entire structure in a single glance. (…) But the restoration of the monuments of Nîmes has been pushed too far, especially for the Arena. Instead of simply consolidating the parts falling into ruin, whose destruction would have compromised the edifice, they have been completely recreated: it is a reconstruction and not a repair.” Voyage dans le midi de la France (Voyage in the South of France), Nîmes 1834.
Correspondant of the Historic Monuments Commission in the Gard
Born in Nîmes, he was a student at the Ecole Centrale before studying Antiquity.
Pelet made all of the remarkable cork models of all of the Roman monuments of Nîmes.
In 1834, Prosper Mérimée wrote: "No friend of the arts should leave Nîmes without having visited the office of Mr. Pelet, whose name, archeological knowledge, and limitless courtesy I have already mentioned".
In 1840, Auguste Pelet monitored the amphitheater restoration work attentively. He openly voiced his disagreement about Revoil’s restorations on several occasions.
After his studies at the National Fine Arts School, in 1836 Questel won the architectural design competition to build the new St Paul Church in Nîmes.
He managed the work that consolidated the Pont du Gard and then the conservation of the Tour Magne until 1844. That same year, he was appointed to oversee the conservation of the amphitheater.
He helped illustrate Voyages pittoresques et romantiques dans l’ancienne France (Picturesque and Romantic Voyages in Ancient France) devoted to Languedoc, which contains two plates depicting the amphitheater (1839).
He was the Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade.
In 1842, he had gates built to close off the Arena.
Restoration work continued from 1854 to 1870 thanks to H. Revoil, respecting the principle of not rebuilding, only supporting. The work concerned the consolidation of the lintels on the first upper level, the reconstruction of many staircases, and the restoration of the first ten tiers of seating.
In 1874, he completed a general plan of the amphitheater from different points of view, watercolor paintings of perspective views and partial elevations of the exterior layout.
From 1935 to 1945, restoration operations continued to focus on the consolidation of the lintels on the first upper level, and some of the arches were repaired. Ideas started to circulate about illuminating the Arena
He worked on the main sewer pipes and sewers of the amphitheater, and on the restoration of the upper cornices. In addition, as of 1936, he began working on the consolidation of the lintels of the corridor on the first upper level.
He participated in many restoration projects in the Provence and Côte d’Azur regions. In 1943, he made a drawing of the layout of an outer arch of the amphitheater as well as an axial cross section of the corresponding vomitorium.
An architect and archeologist from Arles, he drew the plans for the Jardins de la Fontaine in 1936.
He worked on illuminating the Arena, and in particular on the study of a mast that would support a light.
His interventions focused especially on sections 28, 29 and 30 of the amphitheater. He completed many cross sections and external elevations of the amphitheater. He also managed the restoration work on the Maison Carrée in 1954 and 1955, and on the Tour Magne in 1962.
Several interventions on the pilasters, arches and vaults were made in 1953 and 1954, and from 1960 to 1968, when the external stonework was consolidated. Work was completed to protect the amphitheater and the excavation of the rampart near the amphitheater was organized.
A Parisian architect who made several cross sections of the amphitheater entrances in 1976 and 1977, as well as a plan of the amphitheater and an exact measurement of the wall surrounding the arena floor.
He completed many projects for the protection and maintenance of the amphitheater. In 1975, he proposed a plan for the organization of the excavation of the Roman rampart near the amphitheater.
