Three Gauls amphitheater

The amphitheatre of the Three Gauls

The Lyon audio-guided tour presents you with the amphitheatre of the Three Gauls, a Gallo-Roman vestige located at the bottom of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, a witness of ancient Lugdunum.

The heart of the assembly of the Gauls

Definitively identified in 1958 by the archaeologist Amable Audin thanks to a dedicatory inscription, this amphitheatre was built in the year 19 of our era with three thousand seats, before being enlarged in the second century to become the largest in Gaul, with more than twenty thousand seats. It was originally devoted to welcoming the delegates of the assembly of the Three Gauls. At that time, the emperor Augustus had divided Gaul into provinces: the Lyonese, Aquitaine and Belgic Gauls formed the three imperial Gauls, of which Lyon, then Lugdunum, was the capital. It is here that the governors gathered, hence the name of the monument. A major vestige of the Gallo-Roman era, it cannot be visited from the inside.

What there is to see

The amphitheatre of the Three Gauls reveals the vestiges of ancient Lugdunum, when Lyon was the capital of the Gauls. Even if one cannot enter it, the site can be contemplated and recalls the importance of the city in the Roman era. It is a precious testimony of the Gallo-Roman past, to be discovered at the bottom of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse.

Practical information

The amphitheatre of the Three Gauls is at the bottom of the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, in Lyon. The site can be contemplated freely from its surroundings; one cannot, however, enter it.

What was the amphitheatre of the Three Gauls used for?

It was devoted to welcoming the delegates of the assembly of the Three Gauls, when Lyon was the capital of the Gauls.

When was the amphitheatre built?

In the year 19 of our era, with three thousand seats, before being enlarged in the second century to become the largest in Gaul.