France, Autun – Gallo-Roman gate of Saint Andre (Porte Saint Andre)

The historic city of Autun was founded as a Roman settlement (called Augustodunum) by the emperor Augustus ca. 10 BC, and it became one of the great cities of Roman Gaul. Remains of Roman Autun can be seen in two Roman gates, a Roman theater, and a large Gallo-Roman temple on the outskirts of town. When the theater was built by the Romans, it was designed to hold up to 33,000 spectators, making it the largest theater in Gaul and the fourth largest in the Roman Empire. However, like many of the Roman relics that are found in the town, it was severely damaged by local people during the Middle Ages, when the stone was taken away to be reused. A great deal of restoration work took place on the building in the 19th Century.