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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Roman circus of Arles, built from 149 under the Emperor Antonin the Pious, is the largest Roman building in the city. Its construction, complex due to the marshy terrain, required 30,000 wooden piles to stabilize the foundations. Measuring 450 m long and 101 m wide, it could accommodate 20,000 spectators. The central track, or spina, was decorated with obelisk, sculptures and basins, while the stands (cavea) protected the spectators with a high wall (podium).

Used mainly for tank racing, cavalry fighting and venation (hunting), the circus reflects the urban climax of Arles in Roman times. In the fourth century, the spina was renovated with a marble plating and a new obelisk. The decline began in the sixth century, marked by the gradual abandonment, the looting of stones for the ramparts, and a devastating flood in 580 that buried under alluvials. The remains, rediscovered in the 17th and 19th centuries, are now limited to the substructures of the stands and the obelisk, moved in 1676 to the Place de la République.

Lobelisque, an iconic element of spina, was resettled in the 17th century on the current square of the Republic in tribute to Louis XIV. It remains the only visible vestige off site, while excavations revealed traces of residences of the fifth century, linked to the demographic influx after the transfer of the Gauls prefecture to Arles in 407. Saint Césaire, bishop of Arles, criticises in his sermons (circa 536) the attachment of the Arlesians to these " Gentile" shows, testimonies of the last representations before the definitive abandonment around 550.

Ranked a historic monument in 1992, the circus illustrates the urban extension of Arles after the Flavian developments (like the arenas, around 80). Its modular architecture, close to that of the amphitheatres, and its exceptional dimensions make it a symbol of Roman power in Gaul. The visible remains, near the Musée départemental Arles antique, include parts of the stands and the sphendonè (rounded end), while other elements, reused in the ramparts or private buildings, testify to its systematic dismantling.

Forgotten for more than a millennium, the site is rediscovered in stages: the obelisk is identified as a medieval curiosity without known origin, before the excavations of the seventeenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries reveal its history. Today, it offers a unique overview of Roman leisure in Provence, between equestrian races and grandiose shows, while highlighting the conservation challenges posed by the Rhône floods and the successive reuse of its materials.

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