Arles has been around since the Greeks established a settlement here in the 6th Century BC, but the interesting ruins are the Roman ones, dating from around 100 BC. Ancient Arles was closer to the Mediterranean than modern Arles, so it became an important port and centre. Constantine I built baths here and Constantine III made it his capital. The amphitheatre and theatre are some of the best preserved of the Roman ruins still visible amongst the structures of the modern town. Constantine's baths, the Roman necropolis and the Cryptoporticus du Forum, a vast, dark, dank and wonderfully spooky underground gallery built as a barracks for public slaves, are the other major Roman sites visible.

Arles also has an ancient history museum: the Musée de l'Arles et de la Provence antiques, with one of the best collections of Roman sarcophagi to be found outside Rome.

Written by  Sophie Edgerton.

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