arles french pronunciation occitan arle both classical and mistralian norms arelate ancient latin

navigate by keyword : acres amphitheatre anchors ancient arch area arelate arle arles beautiful been boats both bridge built circuit city classical considerable consisted conventional coping covered design drawbridges france french gallia garden home house importance including latin mistralian modern monuments narbonensis nothing number occitan panoramic photography place pontoon port possessed pronunciation provence province remains replaced rhaacute river roman same secured served short some southernmost still style sweet tethered theatre towers triumphal unusual unusually upstream very view violent walls work would

Arles French pronunciation Occitan: Arle in both classical and Mistralian norms; Arelate in ancient Latin Royalty Free Stock Photo

Arles French pronunciation Occitan: Arle in both classical and Mistralian norms; Arelate in ancient Latin

Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province of Gallia Narbonensis. It covered an area of some 99 acres (40 ha) (400,000 mÃÂ²) and possessed a number of monuments, including an amphitheatre, triumphal arch, Roman circus, theatre, and a full circuit of walls. Ancient Arles was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. It also had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the RhÃÂ´ne. Very unusually, the Roman bridge was not fixed but consisted of a pontoon-style bridge of boats, with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place by anchors and were tethered to twin towers built just upstream of the bridge. This unusual design was a way of coping with the river's frequent violent floods, which would have made short work of a conventional bridge. Nothing remains of the Roman bridge, which has been replaced by a more modern bridge near the same spot.