Amphitheatre of Grand

TheAmphitheatre de Grand is an amphitheatre of the Gallo-Romanperiod, located in Grand,in the current French department of vosges. It is the eighth largest amphitheater in the Roman world. It is the subject of archaeological studies as part of the Archaeological Site of Grand. Built at the end of thei er century A.D. J.-C., it could accommodate about 17,000 spectators, capacity testifying to the importance of the ancient city of Grand,in the city of Leuques. It is classified in the category of semi-amphitheatre by Jean-Claude Golvin.

The amphitheatre measures 64.50 m in its minor axis (north-south) and 148 m in its major axis (east-west), which corresponds to 500 feet of 29.6 cm. It is an amphitheater designed with a complete elliptical arena surrounded by cavea whose upper parts were built only to the south, which explains why it has long been considered a mixed work serving as both theater andamphitheater2.

The cavea consists of three maenianan 1 whose bleachers have disappeared. To the north, it is interrupted by a rectilinear façade parallel to the major axis, which was composed of the bleachers in the middle and on either side of five blind arcades that follow the slope of the bleachers; two of these arcades still remain to the west.

The arena rests on the natural terrain, it measures 34 m in its small axis (north-south) and 50.80 m in its major axis. It is surrounded by a podiumn 2 in the state of vestiges. On each side of the small axis are sacellan 3 where were found a dedication to Mars3 and altars to Jupiterheliopolitan, Diana and Nemesis4,5.  The arena is accessed by following the periodionn 4 originally vaulted by the axial corridor, the latter leads to four service rooms forming airlocks.

Masonry is a blockage seated in a facing of very regular rubble of small device with joints drawn with iron and painted red. The facing of the north-east zone was taken over in large apparatus in the third century.