Ausonius calls Arles the “Gallula Roma Arelas,” and praises its hospitable ports, which received the riches of the Roman world, and spread them in turn to the cities of Gaul and Aquitania. So important a city could not escape the successive attacks of the Goths, Franks, and Saracens. By these invaders her splendid edifices were all nearly destroyed, as was entirely the fate of those at Avenio and Massilia. But Arles was not quite so unfortunate as the last named cities, and still possesses some imposing though sadly ruined remnants of her former greatness. Of the existing remains by far the most important is the Amphitheatre. The walls forming the complete circuit and a large part of the seats of the interior are still preserved. The exterior (Fig. 9), according to the usual design of this class of erections, consists of two arcades superimposed on one another--the arches being separated by attached columns. In this instance the arches are sixty in number on each story. The attached columns of the lower arcade are square pilasters with Doric capitals, and those of the upper range are round and of the Corinthian order. [Illustration: FIG. 9. AMPHITHEATRE, ARLES.--_Exterior._] The design may possibly have originally included an attic story; but this, if it ever existed, which seems to be doubtful, as not a single stone of it has been found, has entirely disappeared. Mérimée points out that the mouldings and enrichments of the remainder are all carefully finished, which would not likely have been the case had the building not been carried up to its full height, as the Romans were in the habit of executing all that class of carved work after their buildings were completed--the stones for the ornament being only roughly blocked out at first. We shall meet with a quantity of this preparatory work in the Amphitheatre of Nimes, where it has been left unfinished. The Amphitheatre of Arles, as was to be expected in the capital, is the largest building of its class in Gaul. It is built after the Roman manner, with enormous blocks of carefully cut stone set without cement, and the staircases, passages, &c., are strongly vaulted. [Illustration: FIG. 10. AMPHITHEATRE, ARLES.--_Interior._] The plan, as is usual in Roman Amphitheatres, is that of an ellipse, its longitudinal axis measuring 459 feet, and its transverse axis 341 feet. The seats, which were arranged in forty-three rows (Fig. 10), provided accommodation for 26,000 spectators. There are four principal entrances, at the North, South, East, and West, and eight other smaller doorways. Originally this amphitheatre was probably built by Caligula or Hadrian. In the Middle Ages it was transformed into a fortress, and became the stronghold of some chief, or the citadel of the inhabitants. Four towers were at that time erected on the top of the building--three of which still remain.