Photo : Benjamin Smith / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Théâtre romain d'Autun
The Roman theatre of Autun, ancient Augustodunum, was built in the second half of the 1st century CE, around 70 AD, east of the ancient town. It rests on the natural slope of the hill and has a diameter of about 148 metres, which makes it one of the largest theatres of the Roman world in Gaul. Its capacity is estimated at several thousand spectators, up to 20,000 according to recent tourist sources.
The seating formed three semicircular rows separated by stairs, and a monumental wall closed the stage. The monument has been protected as a historic monument since the nineteenth century. It now hosts open-air shows and events, in particular sound-and-light shows.
The visit is self-guided. Autun has a second ancient theatre, that of Haut-du-Verger, discovered by aerial survey in 1976 and left buried.
