The Roman Empire in Southern France

[Pauline]

I have posted my photos of the Roman milestones on the ancient Roman road Via Domitia near Beaucaire.

Slow Europe Photos - Via Domitia Roman Milestones

The Via Domitia was the first road built in Gaul, linking Italy and Spain through southern France. There are several significant sites along the path of this road (mentioned above in this thread).

We loved hunting down these milestones! They were mentioned in a guidebook and I hunted around online and on Google Maps to find them, then we tracked them down when we were in the area last year. They were easy to find once we knew where they were (off the D999 west of Beaucaire in an industrial area).

I thought there were only three of them, but doing more reading tonight I see there are four, but one has just the base remaining. In my photo on the first post you can see a bit of the 4th one - I never noticed it! Now we have to go back and recount.

 

[Dana]

Great photos, Pauline! It inspired me to dig up mine of the Via Domitia in front of the archbishop's palace in Narbonne.

Just to the west, you can even see the base of the bridge (Pont des Marchands) it used to pass over what was once the river Aude—which changed its banks. In the 18th century, however, the bed was made into the Canal de la Robine, linking Narbonne to the Canal du Midi. The bridge (small as it is) is the only one in France that still has houses on it (just in case the question ever comes up in a pub quiz!).

 

[Dana]

Before there were the Romans in Southern France, there were the Greeks of course who founded Marseille, Nice, Antibes, and in Languedoc, Agde, which is a curious little volcanic bubble by the sandy shore, known as the 'Black Pearl' these days for its basalt buildings although perhaps better known for its resort cousin, Cap d'Agde, home to the biggest nudist colony in France, so,er, quite a lot to see (actually you have to go into the closed off part of the beach...).

A few years back divers in the river Hérault, that passes through the town found a remarkable cache of rare Hellenistic/Roman bronzes, one believed to be of Alexander the Great (the 'Ephebe'), another of Caesarion, the infant son of Cleopatra and Caesar, and another, perhaps an infant Dionysos/Bacchus, all in the local archaeology museum in Cap d'Agde. In spite of my mediocre photos, they are quite remarkable but no one ever goes! It's almost always empty...

 

[Marnie de Vanssay]

Fascinating, beautiful, thanks for sharing Dana, the bronze of Alexander is majestic, Cesarion very delicate

 

[Pauline]

Just to the west, you can even see the base of the bridge (Pont des Marchands) it used to pass over what was once the river Aude—which changed its banks. In the 18th century, however, the bed was made into the Canal de la Robine, linking Narbonne to the Canal du Midi. The bridge (small as it is) is the only one in France that still has houses on it (just in case the question ever comes up in a pub quiz!).

Like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence (over the Arno) and North Parade in Bath (over the Avon)!

 

[Dana]

Like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence (over the Arno) and North Parade in Bath (over the Avon)!

And like, I must say with no little embarrassment, Landerneau in Brittany (lesson: never believe a town's promotional bumph!)