Nîmes and Autun: Two Sisters of Rome in France

Autun’s motto, still inscribed on its town hall, “Roma Celtica, soror et aemula Romae” (“The Gaullish Rome, sister and emulator of Rome”), leads naturally to a comparison with the town of Nîmes, which is often referred to as “the French Rome”. There are many Antique edifices still fully or partially standing in both towns, and Autun and Nîmes have a number of points in common, including their vast 6km Roman ramparts. However, the two towns have a very different history: Autun was built from scratch in Aedui territory in Gallia Lugdunensis, while Nîmes was initially constructed by the Volcae Arecomici before becoming a Latin colony in Gallia Narbonensis. What traces of Rome can be observed in the layout and architecture of the two towns? How was it over time that there were periods when the Romanitas of Autun and Nîmes was sometimes forgotten, sometimes considered to be an essential element of local identity?

Dr Vivien Barrière is a Classical Archaeologist whose research is focused on the process of Romanization, particularly on urbanism and construction work in the Western Roman provinces. After studying at the Ecole normale supérieure and Pantheon-Sorbonne University, he earned a PhD at the University of Burgundy in the field of Roman Archaeology in 2012.

Since 2014, Vivien has been an Associate Professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at CY Cergy Paris University. In the same year, he became Director of Archaeological Fieldwork and project manager of the archaeological site of Genainville.