On their way to the Nyon Roman Museum, class 5 went to see the ruins of the Roman arena in Nyon.

The amphitheater was discovered by accident in June 1996. The planned real estate development has halted, and archaeologists investigated the site. As with many other Roman amphitheaters, Nyon's was built into the side of a hill, in the form of an ellipse.

The citizens of Nyon decided in an election that they would like to preserve the arena, and to repair or rebuild it so that it could be used for modern-day shows. Architects were invited to submit project proposals, and a winner was announced. Since then, the amphitheater has sat, waiting for it's repair. As can be seen in the photos, nature is not waiting to reclaim it.

What happens to Roman amphitheaters?

Click here to see a photo of a house built into the area wall in Aosta, Italy

Click here to see the area in Martigny, Switzerland.

Click here to see the area in Avenches, Switzerland.

Click here to see more photographs of the arena on this web site, on the Archaeological Walking Tour.

Clikc here to see some of the objects shown in the Nyon Roman Museum, which were lost in the amphitheater in the last 2000 years.