![]() ![]() It is the only standing gate of the four that once led into the city.Īccording to legend, Reims – or Durocortorum, as it was then called – was founded by Remus, brother of Romulus, founder of Rome.Īt its height, Durocortorum had 30,000 inhabitants and was one of the most populated Gallo-Roman cities north of the Alps. In a northern city known more for its champagne and Gothic cathedral than its Roman remnants sits the third-century Porte de Mars, also referred to as Mars Gate. If you're fascinated by Antiquity, you can carry it around with you by wearing it! This Turkish shop hand-craft Roman-themed jewellery on demand so check them out. It took wild protests by heavyweight Parisians, including writer Victor Hugo, for the city authorities to relent.Įventually, the site was partly renovated and is now a public park. In fact, it was almost destroyed in the 19th century and replaced by a bus garage. Only part of the original building remains. This Roman arena in Paris was once far larger than it is now and in its heyday could accommodate up to 15,000 spectators, surpassed in size in France only by those of Nîmes and Arles (more about these below).Įlisa Subirats of World in Paris says you can choose one of two entrances, either through 47 rue Monge or through the rue des Arènes or Square Capitain. Or you can take a tour that includes the Arènes on its itinerary. Executions sometimes involved animals: the hapless condemned (criminals and, later, Christians) would be thrown into the arena and starving animals - usually dogs or lions - would be released.Īlso, not all gladiators were men and women often fought - although they were slaves and compelled to do so. Mostly, gladiators fought other men, not animals, although some animal fights existed (more slaughter than fight, really). Some gladiators were volunteers, others were slaves or prisoners of war forced into the arena, but all underwent training. They had professional rules and a referee, and the best gladiators were celebrities. The fights were major events, announced on billboards and with much fanfare. These fights were a form of entertainment, like spectator sports today, and fights were often to the death, though by no means always. Still, this bit of background should help us better understand the magnificence of what the Romans left behind, some of which I detail below. So if you need more information, I suggest you visit the Encyclopedia Britannica. The Goths, for example, didn't exactly sweep in – but they trickled in over centuries, slowly insinuating themselves into society. Granted, this potted history is all a little simplistic, given that this is a travel blog and not a history lesson. Eventually, 'barbarians', as the Germanic people from the north were called, would sweep in and wipe away as many traces of Rome as they could. This was a prosperous time and the Romans settled, building all the amphitheaters, arenas, triumphal arches and aqueducts we'll visit below. ![]() It now sits in the Palazzo Altemps in Rome (part of the National Museum) ![]() Since there was no photography in Roman times, we can get a good sense of these invasions from this ancient Roman sarcophagus of around 250 AD, which depicts a battle scene between the Romans and the invading Goths. They also left behind plenty of culture, not to mention Latin, the basis of our language. The Romans didn't just pass by – they were here for more than 500 years and left all sorts of Roman ruins in France: amphorae, mosaics, soaring aqueducts and Roman bridges, as well as roads still used today, like the Via Domitia. Gaul was the Roman name for France when it was a province of Rome because yes, we were not always as fiercely independent as we are today (apart from that little village where Asterix lived, of course). Gallo-Roman history Roman Ruins in France Map Paris and northern France ![]()
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