place

Alyscamps

Ancient Roman buildings and structures in FranceBuildings and structures in Bouches-du-RhôneCemeteries in FranceNecropoleisRoman Arles
Tourist attractions in Bouches-du-Rhône
Alyscamps road
Alyscamps road

The Alyscamps is a large Roman necropolis, which is a short distance outside the walls of the old town of Arles, France. It was one of the most famous necropolises of the ancient world. The name comes from the Provençal Occitan word Aliscamps, which comes from the Latin Elisii Campi (that is, in French, Champs-Élysées; in English Elysian Fields). They were famous in the Middle Ages and are referred to by Ariosto in Orlando Furioso and by Dante in the Inferno.Roman cities traditionally forbade burials within the city limits. It was therefore common for the roads immediately outside a city to be lined with tombs and mausoleums; the Appian Way outside Rome provides a good example. The Alyscamps was Arles' main burial ground for nearly 1,500 years. It was the final segment of the Aurelian Way leading up to the city gates and was used as a burial ground for well-off citizens, whose memorials ranged from simple sarcophagi to elaborate monuments. In 1981, the Alyscamps was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments group.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Alyscamps (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Alyscamps
Chemin des Muraillettes, Arles

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: AlyscampsContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 43.671388888889 ° E 4.6369444444444 °
placeShow on map

Address

Nécropole des Alyscamps

Chemin des Muraillettes
13200 Arles
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
mapOpen on Google Maps

linkWikiData (Q450348)
linkOpenStreetMap (236818153)

Alyscamps road
Alyscamps road
Share experience

Nearby Places

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments (French: Arles, monuments romains et romans) is an area containing a collection of monuments in the city centre of Arles, France, that has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. The official brief description for this as a World Heritage Site is: Arles is a good example of the adaptation of an ancient city to medieval European civilization. It has some impressive Roman monuments, of which the earliest—the arena, the Roman theatre and the cryptoporticus (subterranean galleries)—date back to the 1st century B.C. During the 4th century Arles experienced a second golden age, as attested by the baths of Constantine and the necropolis of Alyscamps. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Arles once again became one of the most attractive cities in the Mediterranean. Within the city walls, Saint-Trophime, with its cloister, is one of Provence's major Romanesque monuments. The protected area covers 65 hectares (160 acres). The following buildings are located within this area: Arles Amphitheatre The Roman theater Cryptoporticus and Roman forum: Located underneath the Chapel of the Jesuit College and the City Hall, this cryptoporticus was likely built by the Greeks in the 1st century BCE. It may have been used as a slave barracks. The Thermes of Constantine: A public bath, which was built during the 4th century CE. Ramparts of the Roman castrum The Alyscamps The Church of St. Trophime and its cloister Roman exedra (courtyard of Museon Arlaten)