An Artist's Tour of Provence - Part III

Arles

Arles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest commune (French territorial division) in France, with an area of over 293 square miles. The location of Arles has been occupied since around 800 B.C. and was already an important ancient Phoenician trading port when it was taken by the Romans in 123 B.C. The town blossomed under Roman occupation, and, after Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, it was made a formal colony of Rome. The Romans proceeded to build the Amphitheater, the Circus, the Triumphal Arch, the Theater, Necropolis, Obelisk and a full circuit of walls, most of which are still visible today. Slaves, criminals and wild animals (including giraffes) met their dramatic demise before a jubilant 20,000-strong crowd during Roman gladiatorial displays and chariot races at Les Arènes (the amphitheater), built around the early 2nd century AD.

After he became ruler of the western empire in 324, Emperor Constantine I built substantial baths, the ruins of which can also be se…