Taking the Train

The seas are a bit rough so we decide to stay in Marseille a little longer, and wait for things to calm down. It is not a bad place to hang out. We take the train to nearby Nimes famous for its textile industry. Their most famous fabric, denim, which got its name from de nimes. This ancient town was an important Roman stronghold. When the Romans included France as part of the Roman Empire, they invested in the town of Nimes. Among the other Roman ruins is the most preserved coliseum in existence. It is not much different than the day it was built. Still in use today for concerts, bullfights and community festivals, spectators still climb the stone stairs and sit on the same stone benches that were in use 2000 years ago. We took the guided tour and learned that Hollywood has greatly distorted what happened in these arenas. Contrary to popular belief, gladiators were not persecuted slaves or prisoners, but were men that choose that profession much like boxers do today. They went to school and learned the art of combat. The contest was to make the opponent submit. The rules were pretty simple; you could do anything but kill the other guy. They had referees that made sure no deadly force was used. When an opponent was conquered, all eyes went to the leading dignitary. He would either tuck his thumb into his fingers indicating that the sword should be sheathed or hold his palm out flat indicating death to the defeated. Rarely was death ruled. A lot of money and time went into training these men. If the dignitary signaled death, he would be responsible to paying the school that trained the gladiator significant sums of money. At mid day most of the spectators left the arena to have lunch. It was during this time that the bloodiest of the spectacle took place. Wild animals such as bears or lions would be put into the arena along with prisoners and enemies of the state chained in place and not allowed to defend themselves. What happened next is a bloodbath with the wild animals feasting on human flesh. Even the Romans considered this pretty barbaric and few watched. It was used as a warning to not cross the might of the Roman Empire. After lunch, the sand on the arena floor was turned, soaking up the blood and the afternoon games would continue.

We also went to the Maison Carree, a temple with typical fluted columns and sculpted frieze. It is the best preserved in the world as well. These two gems made the trip well worth the train ride. They made the Maison Carree into a theater that showed a 3D movie on the history of the area. We got swords poking inches from our face and lances from the Middle Ages hurling towards us. It was all quite fun.