Glanum, the archaeological site

Hello Charlie!!!

This Tuesday I went with my family to the Archaeological site of Glanum!

Between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC, a distinctive civilization grew up on the flanks of the Alpilles: the Glanics, Salluvians* Gauls of Provence.

The town they built around a sacred spring with healing powers (1) was gradually influenced by the Greeks in Marseille, as can still be seen from the Dromos well (2) and the Bouleterion (3).

In the 1st century BC, the arrival of the Romans imposed other architectural models: the twin temples (4) dedicated to Emperor worship, the forum (5) and the thermal baths (6) all indicate a change in lifestyle.

The arch (7) marks the boundary and northern entrance to the ancient town. Next to it the mausoleum (8) suggests that the necropolis lay beyond the walls, which have now disappeared.

* Salluvians: a Gaulish people of Celto-Ligurian origin who settled in Provence.

History:

The Salluvian oppidum*

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The first inhabitants settled here in the 6th and 7th centuries B.C., were protected by a dry-stone rampart blocking the road to the Alpilles for a length of 300 meters. Pottery and coins thrown as offering into the swallow-hole* above the spring indicate the Gaulish settlement was medicated by religious reasons from its origin. A Celtic god, Glan, together with his benevolent companions the Glantic Mothers, lived in the waters that were thought to have healing properties and which gave their name to the inhabitants. 

* Oppidum: a Celitc fortifications, either with or without residential quarters. These large areas were protected by ditches, providing refuge in times of trouble and acting as meeting places in times of peace. 

* Swallow-hole: a naturally formed depression found in limestone.

The Hellenistic* then Roman city 

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Subsequent relations with the Greek world brought wealth to the inhabitants of Glanum, resulting in the extension of the inhabited zone and the construction of building in the Hellenistic style in the 2nd and 1st centuries B.C. Then Glanum became a Roman colony in the very early years of Augustus' reign (63 B.C. - 14 A.D.).  This resulted in the rapid, profound transformation of the city's monumental architecture. Finally, unable to resist the Alamannic invasions of 260 A.D., the town was abandoned by its inhabitants in favor of the nearby agglomeration that came into the possession of the Abbey of Saint-Remi in Reims in the Merovingian period.

* Hellenistic: Gallo-Greek culture in which Greeks from Marseille were particularly influential (from the 3rd to the 1st century B.C.)

Archaeological digs:

The most important Gaulish Site in Narbonensis*

Les Antiques:

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From the 16th century "Les Antiques" were visited by learned men and visitors. These monuments, a triumphal arch and a mausoleum*, were the only vestiges of the city of Glanum then visible. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, an increasing number of ancient objects were discovered in their vicinity. The mausoleum is 18 meters high and it is the most preserved monument of all the Roman domination. It was built by three brothers in honor of their grandfather who served in the roman army and received the Roman citizenship. There is an inscription on it: 

"SEX(tus) M(arcus) L(ucius) IVLIEI C(aii) •F(ilii) PARENTIBVS SVEIS"
(Sextus, Marcus and Lucius Julius, sons of Caius, for their parents.)

The Arch

The mausoleum

Spectacular discoveries:

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From 1921, systematic archaeological digs were carried out on the site, initiated by the architect of historical monuments Jules Formigé. Under his authority, Pierre de Brun oversaw works for twenty years; first he unearthed the surrounding of the basilica*, the houses in the northern area and the thermal baths. Henri Rolland succeeded him from 1941 to 1969. Since 1983, digs and research have once again been under way, yielding better knowledge about the ramparts and the twin temples resulted in the restoration of a corner of the smaller of the two in 1992.

Hellenistic remains have also been discovered beneath the Roman forum. Restoration of it started in 2007, with the decision to adopt the layout of the late 1st century B.C.. Two "archeological windows" - openings in the ground- allow elements from earlier periods to be observed: the dromos well and the Hellenic trapezoid square.

* Narbonensis: a province in south-east Gaul, governed directly by Rome.

* Mausoleum: a monument erected to the memory of Roman Citizens who had distinguished themselves in military campaigns.

* Basilica: Roman building composed of a large rectangular hall, generally divided into several naves by colonnades and terminated by an apse. In Imperial times, all cities had a basilica adjoining the forum which was used as a court of justice.

Carla. F