GALLIA ROMANA

Macé 1858 ; Lemerle 2003, pp. 17-20 ; Lemerle 2005, pp. 34-35, 93-95 ; Roumégoux 2009, pp. 200-201

« Tertium extra urbem visendum est la torre ronde. Ubi duo ostenduntur ; balneæ & arenæ. Illæ sunt cavernæ quædam, olim scaturientes aquis calidis, & ideò thermæ Marianæ dictæ, quòd iis usus Marius fuerit. Istæ binis in turribus ostenduntur, (les arenes) quarum rudera volunt esse amphitheatri vestigia. Verùm angustia loci evincit, isthic loci non potuisse fuisse molem amphitheatri, licet nomen remanserit arenarum ; quod & hodiè apud Italos & Gallos [467] pro amphitheatro in usu est. »
= “The third thing to be seen outside the town is the 'Tour Ronde', in which there are two things of interest: the baths and the arena. The first are caverns in which hot water used ran abundantly; they are known as the 'Thermae of Marius' because Marius used them. The second thing to seen in the tower are the ruins thought to be remnants of an amphitheatre (the arena). In reality, it is clear from the lack of space here that this place cannot be the site of a massive amphitheatre, even though it continues to be called the 'arena', which, in both Italy and France, is still today synonymous with 'amphitheatre'.”