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Origin and history

The Amphitheatre of Périgueux, built in the second century in the Gallo-Roman district of Vesunna (present-day Périgueux), was initiated during the reign of Tiberius (14-37) by the Pompia family, notably Aulus Pomp(eius) Dumnom(otus), a military tribune. With a capacity of 18,000 spectators, he was among the most impressive of Gaul Aquitaine. Between the 3rd and 4th centuries, the extension of the city walls left it protruding, marking its integration into the medieval urban landscape.

In the Middle Ages, the count of Périgord erected his dungeon and towers on the ruins of the amphitheatre, reusing ancient structures. A 1575 engraving attests to its almost intact preservation, with two floors of stands. However, from 1644 onwards, the visiting sisters partially dismantled the building to build their convent, discovering in 1688 a niche housing Roman statuettes, destroyed as "Pagan idols".

The first scientific excavations were conducted in 1821 by Wlgrin de Taillefer, followed in 1875 by the development of a garden-school on the site, now known as Jardin des Arènes. The remains, covered by 3.50 m of embankment, have been home since 1877 to an archaeological museum under the main vomitory. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1840, the site benefited from extensive research in 1963 and 1982, establishing its overall plan.

Of elliptical form (141.4 m x 118.2 m), the amphitheatre illustrates Roman architecture adapted to public performances. Its present garden, lined with lindens and populated by boxwood, fifs and chestnut trees, perpetuates a vocation both heritage and landscape, while preserving the traces of a major Gallo-Roman past.

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