As I mentioned in the introduction this first empty-nester trip to the Southern Rhone planted the seeds of interest in the Romans. At the time my knowledge of the Romans was primarily based on pop culture like the movie Gladiator. I knew that France was called Gaul and Julius Caesar had conquered Gaul. What I didn’t realize was the degree of colonization/occupation of Gaul. I now understand that the Roman model of conquest was to keep taking over lands and people, tax them, even enroll them into your armies (Russel Crowe’s gladiator was a general from Spain). As a result there is a treasure trove of sites scattered throughout the Mediterranean and France is one of them.
Probably the most famous Roman site in the area is the most famous Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard. It was built during the first century CE. It was once the 50-kilometre-long water source for the ancient Roman colony of Nemausus. The engineering prowess to build these structures just amazes me. Look at those arches. The most impressive part of these aqueducts is the water has to flow, which means that for 50 kilometers the structure had to slope very gently downhill from the source to the city of Nemausus.
Orange, just north of Avignon, is the location of two Unesco sites. This is where we saw our first Roman theater. It was in great shape. A theater is a half a circle with the stage in the middle of the flat part. Romans used theatres to present plays. This one was built in 35 BCE.
One of my favorite towns is Arles. Its not too big and is easily walkable with great sites and charm. Arles has its own Amphitheater, just a baby compared to the Coliseum in Rome, but still cute. Since this is the first blog about amphitheaters, I thought I would explain what they are. An amphitheatre is a circle, so two theaters stuck together but with no stage in the middle. Amphi means “around” in Greek. The Romans used amphitheaters for gladiator fights and other entertainment for its citizens. The exterior structure is in good shape but the interior seating was plundered to build churches. Objects from the arena and the surrounding area are in the excellent Musee Departemental Arles Antique museum. This is where we saw our first mosaic and fell in love with them. The artistry and craftsmanship are stunning.
Nimes has a larger amphitheater but we couldn’t tour it because Adele decided to sing that day. You see this everywhere in Europe, where they hold concerts in Roman amphitheatres and theatres. The Maison Carrée is one of the best preserved Roman temple façades to be found in the territory of the former Roman Empire. There are a couple of other sites in town as well. I think this is probably a good place to see some excellent sites as long as you can get into the arena.
Glanum is the ruins of a Roman town near Saint-Rémy de Provence. You can visit the sanatorium where Van Gogh was recuperating from an ear ache at the same time. What makes Glanum stand out isn’t the big amphitheaters, it is its simplicity. At the top were the temples and baths, then the water flowed down the street under paving stones which the citizens could direct into their house, the sewer ran under the street as well. Ancient plumbing at its best. You can see the layout of the houses. If you squint real hard or drink a bottle of Chateau Neuf de Pape you can almost see people strolling down the street in their togas.
Wow I guess we saw more Roman sites on this trip than I remembered. It definitely made an impression and piqued our interest. In fact upon reflection, I now realize this trip planted the Roman seeds into my brain. This is where Brenda developed her fascination with mosaics.