The Oddball Roman Theater of Alauna: A Stone Circle Overlooking the Merderet

Nestled in the heart of the French commune of Valognes, Manche department, the Roman Theater of Alauna breaks the Roman mold, featuring an arena. The structure, constructed using local limestone rubble, boasts a diameter of over 72 meters (236 ft), dating back to the latter half of the 1st century AD. Perched at Les Buttes, it gazed upon the southeastern facet of the Merderet River valley. By the end of the 3rd century, it had fallen silent. Since 1695, the site has witnessed multiple investigations, including mid-1800s probes and more recent digs in 2015 and 2020.

These studies have shed light on the theater's surroundings, uncovering a network of roads that crisscrossed the ancient settlement of Alauna, oriented in a north-northwest to east-northeast configuration. Some experts even propose that an ancient road may have followed the trajectory of the decumanus maximus. These discoveries offer intriguing glimpses into the lifestyles and activities of the people during the Roman era.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons