Vestiges du Forum romain de Lutèce

The Arènes de Lutèce features a distinctive curved stone wall and rising tiers of grass seats that tuck into a hillside. This theater, built in the first century, seated ten thousand spectators for gladiatorial combat and theatrical performances. When the Roman Empire retreated, the structure served as a burial ground and was eventually buried under layers of dirt. It remained forgotten until eighteen sixty-nine, when workers digging for a new street line unearthed the ancient masonry, halting construction to save the ruins.