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Origin and history

Agen Amphitheatre, built in Aginnum (present Agen) in Aquitaine second, probably dates from the 1st century AD. Its maximum dimensions (115 × 100 m) and its estimated capacity (12,000 to 15,000 places) make it a major monument, comparable to the amphitheatres of Bordeaux or Poitiers. Its abandonment, linked to the recovery of stones, began in the second half of the fourth century, in a context of progressive urban decline.

The location of the amphitheatre was approached from the 19th century thanks to the odonymy (rue des Arenes) and confirmed in 1984 by the analysis of the parcellar. However, its remains were exhumed only in 1988-1989, during rescue searches in the Tanneries district. These discoveries reveal two phases of construction: a first transient state (107 × 90 m, 6,000 places) followed by an enlargement with an external portico, typical of Roman amphitheatres.

The building, buried after the excavations, was listed as historical monuments in 1991. Its architecture combines annular walls in opus vittatum and stone stairs, while the arena (67 × 50 m), without basements, suggests an adaptation to the dry marshy terrain. The similarities with the amphitheatres of Pula (Croatia) or Poitiers suggest a common architectural influence or even a common masterpiece.

The site, integrated with the Gallo-Roman city of Aginnum (80 ha), revolves around the decumanus and the cardo, major axes linking the theatre and the amphitheatre. The city, flourishing under Auguste thanks to its commercial position (Garonne confluence/Ruisseau de la Masse), declined from the second century. In the fourth century, it became the Civitas Agenensium, but its monuments were dismantled to reuse their materials, without proof of a total abandonment before the fifth century.

The oblivion of the amphitheatre persists until its modern rediscovery. In the 16th century, Jules-César Scaliger and his son confused his remains with those of the ancient theatre, located to the south. The excavations of the 1980s also reveal medieval reuses (XIII–XIV centuries): Roman structures serve as foundations, and the cavea is filled. The post-float controversy between municipalities and associations on the visibility of remains, now preserved under urban development.

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