Orange - Roman Theatre

(Local Name: Théâtre Romain) The Roman Theater, in the south of the Inner City, is the best preserved and one of the finest of antiquities. It was set up at the beginning of the Imperial era (A.D. first century), but was probably renewed in the next century. With its back wall, composed of massive stone blocks, several stories high, towering over every other building to a height of 38m/125ft and a width of 103m/338ft, with some of the rich decorations still intact, and its circles and tiers of stepped seats, supported against the hillside, providing seating for 7,000 people, it gives a good idea of a Roman theatrical auditorium. As the only Roman theater, Orange has retained the statue of the Emperor Augustus; it is 3.55m/11.5ft in size.