The Nîmes amphitheater was built around the year 100 AD, which places its construction only about twenty years after that of the Colosseum in Rome. While the Colosseum remains the largest Roman amphitheater still visible today, the Arènes de Nîmes are much better preserved. This better state of preservation comes from the fact that the Colosseum in Rome was used as a stone quarry throughout the Middle Ages. The city of Nîmes, on the other hand, transformed the surroundings of the amphitheater into a residential area. This decision preserved the monument, its bleachers, interior galleries, and all of its arcades.