Théâtre gallo-romain de Vieux

About

The Gallo-Roman theatre of Vieux is a building for the performances of the archaeological site of Vieux-la-Romane, the ancient Aregenua, located about 10 km south of Caen, in the French department of Calvados, Normandy. The site of Vieux has been the subject of archaeological excavations organized since the end of the seventeenth century. However, the famous statue base known as Thorigny marble was discovered in the late 16th century.

The excavations confirm that this is indeed the Roman city of Aregenua, capital of the people of Viducas, founded in the first century and whose peak is detachable from the second and third centuries. During this period, the city has a monumental adornment including a building for performances, a testimony of the adherence of local people to the Roman way of life. The city's decline is rapid, losing its status as an administrative capital on an unknown date prior to the very beginning of the fifth century.

A process of ruralisation at work no longer makes it possible to distinguish the old city from other human installations of the Caen plain before the end of the Merovingian dynasty. Stuck in the middle of the 19th century by the...