Luc-en-Diois
Encyclopedia
Luc-en-Diois is a commune
in the Drôme
department in southeastern France
. It is situated on the Drôme River
.
. Perhaps this is the origin of this Roman capital installed in the first century BC at the foot of the mountains of Diois. It shared with Vaison-la-Romaine
the title of chief city of Vocontii
, an important romanized Gallic people. (Tacitus
, Hist. i. 66, calls it municipium Vocontiorum; Pliny
iii. 4).
Lucus was incorporated into the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis
, and is placed by the Antonine Itinerary
on a road from Vapincum (modern Gap
) to Lugdunum (modern Lyon
): it is the first stage after Mons Seleucus, and lies between Mons Seleucus and Dea Vocontiorum (modern Die
).
The vestiges of the ancient city, which one supposes to be monumental, are partially hidden by landslide debris which having stopped the course of the Drôme river, caused the river to spread out and form lakes which further obscured the site. What is visible includes the remains of a large temple, built on the same model as that of Vienne
, an arm of a monumental statue (more than 4 m in height) and many inscriptions are visible in Museums of Die
and of Diois. For unknown reasons, the capital of Voconces was transferred to Die around the beginning of the 2nd century AD. Little by little, the city withered, eventually becoming a mansio, merely a station on the side of a Roman road, by the beginning of 4th century. A fort was however installed at the same time at the top of the peak of Luc, in order to supervise the road, which acquired a strategic importance since the Roman armies fought on the Rhine. The road, which ran between the Durance
and the Rhône, was the most practicable route in winter to connect Milan
and Cologne
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Drôme
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
department in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is situated on the Drôme River
Drôme River
The Drôme , a river in southeastern France, has a length of 110 km long and forms a left tributary of the Rhône River. Its source is in the western foothills of the Alps, near the village Valdrôme...
.
History
The Latin name of Luc-en-Diois, Lucus Augusti or Lucus for short, evokes a crowned wood of the GaulsGauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
. Perhaps this is the origin of this Roman capital installed in the first century BC at the foot of the mountains of Diois. It shared with Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison-la-Romaine
Vaison-la-Romaine is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France....
the title of chief city of Vocontii
Vocontii
The Vocontii were a Gallic people who lived on the east bank of the Rhône.-Location:Their main towns were Lucus Augusti and Vasio , but they occupied an extensive territory stretching from Vercors in the north, the buttresses of Mont Ventoux in the south-west, Manosque in the south-east and...
, an important romanized Gallic people. (Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, Hist. i. 66, calls it municipium Vocontiorum; Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
iii. 4).
Lucus was incorporated into the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
, and is placed by the Antonine Itinerary
Antonine Itinerary
The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...
on a road from Vapincum (modern Gap
Gap, Hautes-Alpes
Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River...
) to Lugdunum (modern Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
): it is the first stage after Mons Seleucus, and lies between Mons Seleucus and Dea Vocontiorum (modern Die
Die, Drôme
Die is a commune, former episcopal see, and sub-prefecture of the Drôme department in southeastern France.Die is best known for the Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine. It was a county in the High Middle Ages.-Population:-External links:*...
).
The vestiges of the ancient city, which one supposes to be monumental, are partially hidden by landslide debris which having stopped the course of the Drôme river, caused the river to spread out and form lakes which further obscured the site. What is visible includes the remains of a large temple, built on the same model as that of Vienne
Vienne, Isère
Vienne is a commune in south-eastern France, located south of Lyon, on the Rhône River. It is the second largest city after Grenoble in the Isère department, of which it is a subprefecture. The city's population was of 29,400 as of the 2001 census....
, an arm of a monumental statue (more than 4 m in height) and many inscriptions are visible in Museums of Die
Die, Drôme
Die is a commune, former episcopal see, and sub-prefecture of the Drôme department in southeastern France.Die is best known for the Clairette de Die, a sparkling wine. It was a county in the High Middle Ages.-Population:-External links:*...
and of Diois. For unknown reasons, the capital of Voconces was transferred to Die around the beginning of the 2nd century AD. Little by little, the city withered, eventually becoming a mansio, merely a station on the side of a Roman road, by the beginning of 4th century. A fort was however installed at the same time at the top of the peak of Luc, in order to supervise the road, which acquired a strategic importance since the Roman armies fought on the Rhine. The road, which ran between the Durance
Durance
The Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
and the Rhône, was the most practicable route in winter to connect Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.