ARLES, formerly ARELATA, a city of France, an ciently the capital of the kingdom of Burgundy, and now the principal place of a district in the department of the Mouths of the Rhone. The town is large but indiffer ently built. It is situated on uneven ground, near the place where the Rhone divides itself into two branches, and is nearly surrounded by a marsh, which renders it unhealthy. The neighbouring country is extremely rich and fertile, and corn and cattle are the articles of its commerce. This city was one of the most flourish ing in Gaul in the time of Caesar. Its inhabitants were celebrated for their skill in the construction of vessels, and in the practice of navigation ; of which an extraor dinary proof was given in the astonishing rapidity with which they built twelve galleys for the expedition of against the Marseillois. Arles is distinguished by several remarkable Roman antiquities. Its amphi theatre, which was left by Juiius Caesar in an unfinished state, is of an oval form, about 1164 feet in circumference, and 102 feet high in front. The arena is 142 by 104. yards. The porticoes, which are built with large stones, are three stories high, and each of them contains 60 arches, which are partly remaining. The granite obe lisk, which was found in a private garden near the walls of the city, was (lug up in 1675, and dedicated to Louis XIV. It is 58 feet high, and its base is 7 feet in diame
ter. The pedestal is adorned with four lions cut out of marble, and at the top is a blue ball, on which are golden fleur-de-lis, terminated by a sun. Besides these two splendid remains of antiquity, there are several other ancient curiosities, among which are, the remains of a triumphal arch, two huge columns of Grecian marble, the ruins of two temples, and the remains of a Roman capital. Arles was repaired by Constantine the Great, who also adorned it with a palace, and made it the scat of empire ; and it was here that the celebrated statue of Diana was found, which was removed to the gallery of Versailles. Frederick II. granted the inhabitants of this city the privilege of electing their own archbishop, consuls, and podestat ; and Arles became a republic of such importance, that Genoa and other cities courted its alliance. In the space of 37 years, however, it lost its independence. Population 18,000. East Long. 4° 48'. North Lat. 43° 4'. See Histaire du Commerce et de la Navigation, par M. Huet.