THE GALLO-ROMAN AMPHITHEATRE
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Gennes was an important Gallo-Roman city because of its privileged position on the Loire and trade routes. There are still many remains of this period, more or less well preserved, of which the most remarkable is the amphitheatre of Mazerolles. Considered the largest Gallo-Roman amphitheatre in the west, it could accommodate up to 5,000 spectators. Its construction is original: on the hillside, the cellars of the arena were dug; only the podium and the surrounding wall were built. During the Empire, the theatre organised the circus games, which saw gladiators and animals confront each other, but also naumachia (water fights) thanks to a machinery that allowed to flood the arena. One of its main characteristics is its perfectly preserved terracotta drainage pavement. This amphitheatre and other remains discovered - baths, temples, aqueduct, habitat - were part of a vast Gallo-Roman complex built at the end of the 1st century AD and used until the beginning of the 3rd century. Finally, an area of habitat has recently been revealed during an archaeological diagnosis that completes the observations already established. For the time being, the researchers hypothesize that Gennes would have been a large sanctuary in a rural area and a place of conciliation before the conquest of Gaul. Guided tours and animations help to make these ruins full of history talk!
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