Gaulle Narbonnese

The Gaulle Narbonnese was a province of the Roman Empire founded starting from the very first colony created by the Romans on the territory of current the France, as of 118 before J.C. This primitive colony, Narbonne, established on the coast around a small coastal river, the Aude, will give her name thereafter to the future Gallo-Roman province. The Romans gave him the name of Narbo Martius , the city dedicated to the “god Mars”. Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence), is founded at the same time into -122.

This area, Gaulle Narbonnese, is also called the Provincia (of which we made Provence).

Rome occupies the area in some shifts between -125 and -121, in particular those of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus. The occupied zone extends until Tolosa (Toulouse) and Léman, creating a terrestrial connection between its territories in Spain and the Gaulle cisalpine. The Greek colony of Massilia (Marseilles) and its back-country forms a free enclave within the Narbonnese. However perhaps the province did not accept its official statute ( lex provinciae ) only after the passage of Pompée in the Seventies before our era.

In -109, this area is devastated by the Cimbres, the Teutons, the Ambrons during the episode of the Guerre of Cimbres.

Jules César, proconsul of the Narbonnese from -58 to -49, made its base camp for the conquest of Gaules, and finished of it in -49 the conquest of the Narbonnese by annexing Massilia and its territory, which had taken the party of Pompée. With the Empire, starting from 27 av. J. - C, with the principat of Octave become Auguste, Narbonne will take importance.

The emperor Auguste comes to Narbonne and remains there to count the Gaulois and to organize their territory. In 22 av. J.C, it reorganized the administration of the transalpine “Province” of Gaulle in senatorial Province under the authority of the Roman Sénat. Having fixed the capital at Narbonne, this one took the name of “Province de Gaulle Narbonnese”. This territory was divided of 22 cities approximately. The cities or civitates were very unequal sizes. Largest rather often began again, with a margin of little thing, the limits of the former people: it was thus for the city of the Allobroges ( Vienna ), Nemausus ( Nimes ) for the city of the Volques known as Arécomiques , the city of the Cavares with Avignon , Cavaillon and the colony of Arausio (Orange ), or the federate city of the Voconces, with Vasio and Lucus Augusti like capitals (Vaison-the-Roman and Luc-in-Diois).

Narbonne becomes one of the largest Mediterranean commercial ports, with the crossroads of the two Roman main roads: the Via Domitia (Way Domitienne): from Italy in Spain by the Gaulle Narbonnese, built into 120 before J.C, and the Via Aquitania on the basis of Narbonne towards Toulouse and Bordeaux.

The campaigns neighborhood are divided in great agricultural domains, one cultivates there corn, the olive-tree and the vine, which produces famous wines.

Narbonne knows one period of splendor at the first two centuries of the Christian era, when the resources of the soil as well as the road and maritime crossroads were exploited intensively.

A text of Pline Old the describes Gaulle Narbonnese, and gives us invaluable indications on the way in which it was perceived with Rome with:

“ Narbonensis provincia appellatur leave Galliarum quae interno husband adluitur, Bracata antea dictated, amne Varo ab Italia discreta Alpiumque vel saluberrimis Romano imperio iugis, has reliqua vero Gallia latere septentrionali montibus Cebenna and morumque Iuribus, agrorum cultu, virorum dignatione, amplitudine opum nulli provinciarum postferenda breviterque Italia verius quam provincia ”.

“ One calls Narbonnese Province, the part of the Gaules on the littoral of the Inland sea. Formerly named Bracata, it is separated from the Italy by the river “VAr” and the heights of the the Alps, the rampart natural surest for the Roman Empire. But in north, it is separated from the remainder of the Gaulle by the mountains of the the Cevennes and the the Jura; the Narbonnaise province should not be regarded as the last of the provinces because of the quality of its cultures, the respectability of its inhabitants and their traditions, and abundance of its resources. In short, the Narbonnese resembles more the Italy than with a simple province ”.

At the 4th century, under the Tétrarchie, Gaulle Narbonnese was divided into three provinces, all attached to the prefecture of the court of Gaules:

  • the Narbonnese first which included/understood the part in the west of the Rhone, limited to the east by the the Rhone and the Mediterranean, in the west by the 3 Aquitanian ones, the south by the Spain. Its chief town was Narbonne ( Narbo Martius ), its principal people were the “Tectosages, Arecomici, Sardones, Tolosates, Atacini, Helvii, Umbranici”

  • the Narbonnese second : part of the Provence and the Dauphine . It was not contiguous with the Narbonnese first but was limited to the west by the Viennese, in the east by the province of the maritime Alps. Its principal people were the “Albioeci, Commoni, Salyes”; they had as a capital Aix.

  • the Viennese : Western part of the Dauphine and the Provence more the Comtat Venaissin; one of the seventeen provinces of the Gaulle Roman formed with depends on the old Narbonnese. It included/understood “the Allobroges, the Ségovellaunes, the Helviens, the Tricastins, the Voconces and the Cavares”, it had as a capital Vienna. At the 5th century it was divided in its turn into two provinces which had respectively Vienna and Arles like capitals.

During the great invasions according to year 406, the Narbonnese first was gradually occupied by the Visigoths, the Viennese and the Narbonnese second formed the last Roman square with Italy, before being divided towards 476 between the kingdom Burgonde and the kingdom of Odoacre.

List ancient cities of Gaulle Narbonnese

See too

Internal bonds

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