The amphitheatre of Toulouse-Purpan is constructed on a filled structure, unlike those in Arles, Nîmes, and the Colosseum in Rome, where a hollow structure composed of vaults and pillars supports the tiers. The cavea (the rows of seats intended to receive the public) is fifteen meters wide. This area is separated from the arena by a wall and bound at the outside by a high wall covered in brick. The cavea is divided into equal segments compartmentalized by twenty-three arched horizontal corridors, the vomitoria.
The main entrance to the amphitheatre is located to the north of the arena and is 4.20 meters wide. The arch reproduces the height of the curved vault, which once covered the entry passage. The almond-like arena is sixty-two meters long by forty-six meters wide. Underneath this surface lies an underground network of drains, which leads to a vast ruined well in the center. This well catches the rainwater and allows for the rapid drainage of the arena, even today.
Abandoned at the end of the fourth century, the amphitheatre came to serve as a quarry. In this manner, the monument was completely stripped of its brick facing.
References:The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by the Athenian magnate Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla. It was originally a steep-sloped theater with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive cedar of Lebanon timber. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli in 267 AD.
The audience stands and the orchestra (stage) were restored using Pentelic marble in the 1950s. Since then it has been the main venue of the Athens Festival, which runs from May through October each year, featuring a variety of acclaimed Greek as well as International performances.