{"id":9160,"date":"2022-10-05T21:17:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T04:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/?p=9160"},"modified":"2022-10-05T21:17:26","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T04:17:26","slug":"divodurum-mediomatricorum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roamintheempire.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/05\/divodurum-mediomatricorum\/","title":{"rendered":"Divodurum Mediomatricorum, Gallia Belgica"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aqueduct<\/a>
Aqueduct on the east bank of the Mosella at Jouy-aux-Arches.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most Recent Visit<\/strong>: May 2022<\/p>\n

The site of Divodurum Mediomatricorum seems to have first been inhabited in the Late Bronze Age, specifically a hill at the confluence of the Mosella (modern Moselle) and its tributary, the modern Seille. Seemingly in the modern Hauts-de-Sainte-Croix area of Metz. The Late Bronze Age settlement was burned down in the 6th<\/sup> century BCE, and the subsequent settlement was, eventually, the chief settlement of the Mediomatrici and was called Divodurum, place of the gods. The Mediomatrici name seems to derive from the Gallic roots of medio<\/em> and matres<\/em>, middle and mother respectively; between the mothers. This has given rise to various interpretations which run from a physical description of a place (their territory being between two important \u2018mother\u2019 rivers, the Matrona (Marne) and Matra) to a more metaphorical religious meaning possibly relating to mother god worship.<\/p>\n

The Mediomatrici are mentioned by Julius Caesar as having contributed soldiers to the relief army that attempted to break the Roman siege at Alesia. Divodurum may have then subsequently suffered at the hands of Caesar, but sometime around 52 BCE would have been effectively brought under Roman hegemony. Under the Romans, the settlement was called Divodurum Mediomatricorum, incorporating the indigenous name and the name of the population group which was still living in the region and for which still would have remained their primary settlement. During the reign of Tiberius, the city seems to have suffered a fire which did significant damage, but it was rebuilt following this. The construction of roads between Lugdunum (Lyon) and Augusta Treverorum (Trier) and between Durocorturum (Reims) and Argentoratum (Strasbourg) which intersected at Divodurum Mediomatricorum brought some degree of importance to the city.<\/p>\n

\"Inscription<\/a>
Inscription noting the construction of a nymphaeum by the seviri, mentioning the name of Divodurum and dedicated to the Nymphs and imperial household. Dated to the late 1st or early 2nd century CE. Mus\u00e9e de La Cour d’Or de Metz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The city would again seem to have suffered some level of destruction in the civil war following the death of Nero. An incident is related in Tacitus in which an army of Vitellius approaches Divodurum Mediomatricorum in 69 CE, and despite being welcomed by the Mediomatrici, the Roman troops are somehow spooked and begin attacking the civilians, killing about 4,000 before they are brought under control. The city was restored following this, seemingly in a more typically Roman manner with the construction of features like the forum and baths sometime around 80 CE. Divodurum seems to suffer yet another destruction of unknown cause at the end of the 1st<\/sup> century CE, and it is yet again rebuilt, with many significant public works being constructed during the reign of Trajan.<\/p>\n

The city continues to prosper until 357 CE, when it was sacked during an invasion of the Alamanni. Shortly after the Alamanni attack, it is noted that following the Roman victory against the Alamanni at the Battle of Argentoratum in 357 CE, Julian has the prisoners and spoils from the battle taken to Divodurum. The destruction due to the Alamanni attack on the city results in the walls of Divodurum Mediomatricorum being significantly strengthened and the city becoming a type of fortified settlement. Around a century later, in 451 CE, the city is again sacked, this time by Attila the Hun. The city is again rebuilt, taking the more familiar form it would have in the medieval period, when the Mediomatricorum part of the name would evolve to Mettis under the Franks, and eventually give rise to the modern name of Metz.<\/p>\n