{"id":5917,"date":"2019-12-04T06:51:14","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T13:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/?p=5917"},"modified":"2022-12-15T20:53:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T03:53:32","slug":"nemausus-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/04\/nemausus-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Nemausus, Gallia Narbonensis – Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"
 <\/h5>\n
\"Coin<\/a>
Coin featuring Augustus and Agrippa on the obverse and the crocodile chained to a palm tree, a symbol of Nemausus, on the reverse. Dated to 14\/15 CE and displayed in the Mus\u00e9e de la Romanit\u00e9.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
History<\/strong><\/h5>\n

As was the case at Glanum<\/a>, the origins of the settlement of Nemausus seem to lie in the presence of a sacred spring and sanctuary dedicated to that deity of the spring. Located in the territory of the Volcae Arecomici, a settlement grew in the area during the 3rd<\/sup> and 2nd<\/sup> centuries BCE, connected with a sanctuary to Nemausus, the Gallic deity associated with the sacred spring. Evidence of habitation, however, stretches back as far as the 6th<\/sup> century BCE. The settlement is later described by Strabo as being the capital of the Volcae Arecomici. When Roman hegemony came to the area in 120 BCE, Nemausus seems to have initially fell under the influence of the Roman allied city-state of Massalia<\/a>. With the construction of the Via Domitia<\/a> in 118 BCE, Nemausus became a point of some strategic importance along that road.<\/p>\n

During the civil war of Caesar and Pompey, Massilia chose to support Pompey and was punished by Caesar in the form of the stripping of much of its territory, among which seems to be Nemausus. Firmly under the authority of Rome, a colony was likely sent to Nemausus by Caesar and the city was conferred Latin rights sometime before 37 BCE. After the ascension of Augustus, the emperor formally bestowed the title of Colonia Augusta Nemausus Voltina tribu<\/em> in 27 BCE. It was at this time that a colony composed of veterans, probably Egyptian Greek troops from Marcus Antonius\u2019 forces at the Battle of Actium, was settled at Nemausus.  The presence of these veterans led to the use of the image of a crocodile chained to a palm tree (representative of the recent conquest of Egypt) in association with the city; an image that is still noticeably in use around the city even today. Augustus\u2019 patronage greatly increased the status of the city, with several important monuments being dedicated to the emperor and the city growing to an estimate of between 40,000 and 60,000 inhabitants during his reign.<\/p>\n

\"Interior<\/a>
Interior corridor of the amphitheater.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At some point the proconsul of Gallia Narbonensis was transferred from Narbo Martius to Nemausus. Some sources state this as happening as early as the reign of Augustus. The other more likely scenario comes a bit later during the time of Antoninus Pius, whose father was from Nemausus, following a fire at Narbo Martius. Trajan\u2019s wife, Pompeia Plotina, was said to have been born there as well, and upon her death, Hadrian built a temple dedicated to her in Nemausus, though no surviving evidence of the temple has yet been found. The city reached a peak of prosperity in the 2nd<\/sup> century CE, with important building projects being constructed at this time and imperial building projects occurring as late as the reign of Constantine. By the end of the 4th<\/sup> century CE, however, large swaths of the city seem to have been abandoned and uninhabited. By 473 CE, the city was taken and incorporated into the territory of the Visigoths.<\/p>\n