The Roman amphitheatre in Arles, in southern France, has square medieval castle towers on top of its arches. The Romans didn't build them: they are what's left of a fortified town that once filled the arena.

• ✓fr.wikipedia "Amphithéâtre d'Arles"
• ✓en.wikipedia "Arles Amphitheatre"
• ✓provence-alpes-cotedazur.com: The towers of the Amphitheatre; Arènes d'Arles
• ✓francetvpro.fr press kit 74087891
• ✓RTBF 11741099

This Roman arena in Arles, France, has castle towers on top. The Romans didn't build them. After Rome fell, the people of Arles walled up the arena's arches and turned it into a fortress, with towers to guard it. Look closer at this drawing from 1666. Inside the ring, there are rooftops. More than two hundred houses and a town square, all packed inside the arena. In the 1820s, the city wanted its Roman arena back. The owners were made to sell, and the whole town inside was torn down. So those towers aren't part of the arena. They're the last piece of the town that lived inside it. Subscribe for a fact every day.