Roman Arena in Paris

In the Latin Quarter in Paris is a Roman arena called the Lutece Arena. It was still visible during the reign of Philippe-Auguste in the 12th century, then disappeared under rubble. The site was rediscovered in 1869 and now incorporates a garden, as well as a skateboard park, an oval, and a boules area.

Constructed in the 1^stcentury AD as an amphitheatre, it has terraced seating that could seat 15,000 people. There are nine niches that once held statues. Five small rooms are located beneath the lower terraces (probably to hold animals). After 577 AD it became a cemetery.

Between 1860-1869 it was planned to be a tramway depot, but author Victor Hugo (1802-1885) undertook to save the site as an archaeological treasure. The tram lines were dismantled in 1916, and now a Metro line runs underneath, leaving the site above intact.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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