Noviodunum (Switzerland)
Encyclopedia
Noviodunum or Colonia Iulia Equestris was a Roman era
settlement in what is now Nyon
in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland
.
ic origin, meaning "new fort": It comes from nowyo, Celtic for "new", and dun
, the Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement", cognate of English town. It was the urban center of the larger Colonia. Although the name the city, Noviodunum, is certainly Celtic in origin, it is first mentioned in written sources in about 400AD.
The name Colonia Iulia Equestris is more descriptive. A Colonia
was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city. Iulia refers to either Julius Caesar
or Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus
. The first settlers in the Colonia were army veterans, especially cavalrymen or equester which led to the name Equestris.
as a Colonia for cavalry veterans. The original functions of the Colonia were to provide land for veterans and military bases in conquered territory. Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum
(modern Lyon
, France
) and helped to control the Rhone Valley. It served, along with other Roman colonies in the area, to control the Helvetii who were settled in the area against their will after their defeat at the Battle of Bibracte
in 58 BC.
have been discovered. At its east end was a two-story basilica
, whose ground floor was divided, by a centrally located row of wooden columns, into two nave
s. Within the basilica, there were, probably, public baths or thermae
.
Under Tiberius
, the forum was expanded and redesigned into a familiar pattern for the provinces. The sacred area was surrounded on three sides by colonnade
s, which were built on half-sunken Cryptoporticus
. In the center would have been the main temple, though the remains of that building have not been discovered. A new basilica was built. It now consisted of a nave with two vestibule
s, the nave was enclosed by a colonnade, which formed a gallery. Two outbuildings, including most likely the seat of the Curia
, flanked the building. A market building (macellum
) with a central courtyard around which were the sales rooms, and the baths (tepidarium
with geometric shapes and mosaic
s) were renovated. The forum witnessed further transformations, particularly the establishment of another large building. During the same building phase a large mosaic on the central part of the north portico was built.
The amphitheater, which was discovered in 1996, was probably built in the early 2nd Century AD. Its arena
, which was flanked by two prisons and provided with sewers, is about 50 by. The ruins of theater, that should have been in the Colonia, have not been discovered.
The residential quarters consisted of modest homes, in addition to some domi
with beautiful gardens and pools. The buildings were originally made of wood and clay, but after the mid-1st Century AD were built from masonry. Some villa suburbana stood in the west of the village, while the artisan and merchant quarter, presumably, developed in the southwest. A 10 km (6.2 mi) long aqueduct
which ran from the Divonne area to the colony, provided the water supply. Sewage canals, that followed the road networks, dumped sewage into the lake.
The city remained unwalled throughout its history. However, from the location of cemeteries, it appears that the city did not expand. Cremation graves were discovered in the north of the square of Perdtemps and in Clémenty.
Iulia Equestris was a colony in Roman law with close ties to Vienne
, the capital of the Allobroges
. The city was governed by two duumviri which presided over the decurion
council. At times the duumviri were replaced by a praefectus pro duumviri. The city also had an official list of aediles and a praefectus arcendis latrociniis who was commissioned to combat banditry. The Flaminica Augustae were responsible, along with a six-member college of priests (seviri Augustales), for the imperial cult
.
invasions of 259 or 260 AD, the forum and the public buildings in the city were razed. The stone blocks were scattered all over the Lake Geneva region. The stones were re-used as building material, especially in Geneva, where about 300 were used in the construction of the wall. But the settlement was not abandoned and a number of signs of settlements after the 3rd Century have been discovered. These include; the large necropolis
at Clémenty has tombs from the 5th to 8th Centuries, the stone box graves in the Grand-Rue, near an early medieval
building with apse
s, and the mention of a Civitas Equestrium in the Notitia Gallic around 400 AD. Nyon-Noviodunum, which had already lost much of its prestige and reputation was as a regional capital, now separated from Geneva. Geneva became the center and seat of the diocese which initially fought to administer the territory that had been part of the Colonia.
, the first overall map of the Colonia. In 1974, the significant discovery of the basilica
in the forum
, gave the research additional momentum. In 1979, a new museum dedicated to the Roman Colonia was built near the basilica.
, Rhone
river and Lake Geneva
. The border with the Helvetii probably ran to Aubonne
and later formed the dividing line between the dioceses of Lausanne
and Geneva. However, it is possible (based on some milestones) that the border ran to the Venoge
and Morge rivers (Morga is Gaulish
for border). The center of the Roman city was on an elevated plateau between the Asse and Cossy rivers, at the same point as the later medieval
castle and old town of Nyon. The easily defended hill dominated the lake on which human settlements date back the Neolithic
era. On the hill itself, no traces of a pre-Roman settlement have been discovered.
, Augusta Raurica
, Valais
and Italy and connected by waterways to the Mediterranean and the Rhine was benefited from trade across the western Roman Empire. A port, likely in what is now district Rive, allowed the Colonia to participate in the Lake Geneva trade. Imports included: luxury tableware or products from the Mediterranean, such as amphorae of wine, oil, or fish sauce. However very little is known about exports from the Colonia. The only evidence of exports is a bronze tablet, found near Regensburg
(Castra Regina). It bore the name of the bronze craftsman L. Cusseius Ocellio, who worked in Noviodunum.
The agricultural estates on the outskirts of the Colonia are expected to had been profitable. But the lack of archaeological findings about the type of management, the size of farms and density of the farmers, mean that very little is known about the early farms. Later, a number of villas, large landed estate with luxurious mansions, were built around the town. The villas brought city comforts and Roman lifestyle on the rural areas. One example of this form of romanization, the villa of Commugny
with its peristyle
, baths, mosaics and high quality wall paintings was built in the years between 35 and 45 AD.
Switzerland in the Roman era
The history of Switzerland in the Roman era encompasses the roughly six centuries during which the territory of modern Switzerland was a part of the Roman Republic and Empire...
settlement in what is now Nyon
Nyon
Nyon is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometers north east of Geneva's city centre, and since the 1970s it has become part of the Geneva metropolitan area. It lies on the shores of Lake Geneva, and is the seat of the district of...
in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Origin of the name
Noviodunum is a name of CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic origin, meaning "new fort": It comes from nowyo, Celtic for "new", and dun
Dun
Dun is now used both as a generic term for a fort and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse...
, the Celtic for "hillfort" or "fortified settlement", cognate of English town. It was the urban center of the larger Colonia. Although the name the city, Noviodunum, is certainly Celtic in origin, it is first mentioned in written sources in about 400AD.
The name Colonia Iulia Equestris is more descriptive. A Colonia
Colonia (Roman)
A Roman colonia was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city.-History:...
was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city. Iulia refers to either Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
or Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. The first settlers in the Colonia were army veterans, especially cavalrymen or equester which led to the name Equestris.
Foundation
Colonia Iulia Equestris was most likely founded by Julius Caesar in 46-44 BC. It was established on land taken from the HelvetiiHelvetii
The Helvetii were a Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their contact with the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC...
as a Colonia for cavalry veterans. The original functions of the Colonia were to provide land for veterans and military bases in conquered territory. Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum
Lugdunum
Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum was an important Roman city in Gaul. The city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus. It served as the capital of the Roman province Gallia Lugdunensis. To 300 years after its foundation Lugdunum was the most important city to the west part of Roman...
(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....
, 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...
) and helped to control the Rhone Valley. It served, along with other Roman colonies in the area, to control the Helvetii who were settled in the area against their will after their defeat at the Battle of Bibracte
Battle of Bibracte
The Battle of Bibracte was fought between the Helvetii and six Roman legions, under the command of Gaius Julius Caesar. It was the second major battle of the Gallic Wars....
in 58 BC.
The early Colonia
The first colonists received land lots, which had been divided into uniform units, known as Centurions. Traces of the ordered system have been found in recent studies. Under Emperor Augustus, the colony experienced a boom. A rectangular grid pattern divided the area of the wall-less city. A monumental center, housing everything needed for the economic, religious and social life of the colony, was established. Only portions of this first forumForum (Roman)
A forum was a public square in a Roman municipium, or any civitas, reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along with the buildings used for shops and the stoas used for open stalls...
have been discovered. At its east end was a two-story basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, whose ground floor was divided, by a centrally located row of wooden columns, into two nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
s. Within the basilica, there were, probably, public baths or thermae
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
.
Under Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, the forum was expanded and redesigned into a familiar pattern for the provinces. The sacred area was surrounded on three sides by colonnade
Colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade denotes a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building....
s, which were built on half-sunken Cryptoporticus
Cryptoporticus
In Ancient Roman architecture a cryptoporticus is a covered corridor or passageway. The usual English is "cryptoportico". The cryptoportico is a semi-subterranean gallery whose vaulting supports portico structures aboveground and which is lit from openings at the tops of its arches...
. In the center would have been the main temple, though the remains of that building have not been discovered. A new basilica was built. It now consisted of a nave with two vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
s, the nave was enclosed by a colonnade, which formed a gallery. Two outbuildings, including most likely the seat of the Curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
, flanked the building. A market building (macellum
Macellum
A macellum is an ancient Roman indoor market building that sold mostly provisions . The building normally sat alongside the forum and basilica, providing a place in which a market could be held...
) with a central courtyard around which were the sales rooms, and the baths (tepidarium
Tepidarium
The tepidarium was the warm bathroom of the Roman baths heated by a hypocaust or underfloor heating system.The specialty of a tepidarium is the pleasant feeling of constant radiant heat which directly affects the human body from the walls and floor.There is an interesting example at Pompeii; this...
with geometric shapes and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
s) were renovated. The forum witnessed further transformations, particularly the establishment of another large building. During the same building phase a large mosaic on the central part of the north portico was built.
The amphitheater, which was discovered in 1996, was probably built in the early 2nd Century AD. Its arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, which was flanked by two prisons and provided with sewers, is about 50 by. The ruins of theater, that should have been in the Colonia, have not been discovered.
The residential quarters consisted of modest homes, in addition to some domi
Domus
In ancient Rome, the domus was the type of house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. They could be found in almost all the major cities throughout the Roman territories...
with beautiful gardens and pools. The buildings were originally made of wood and clay, but after the mid-1st Century AD were built from masonry. Some villa suburbana stood in the west of the village, while the artisan and merchant quarter, presumably, developed in the southwest. A 10 km (6.2 mi) long aqueduct
Roman aqueduct
The Romans constructed numerous aqueducts to serve any large city in their empire, as well as many small towns and industrial sites. The city of Rome had the largest concentration of aqueducts, with water being supplied by eleven aqueducts constructed over a period of about 500 years...
which ran from the Divonne area to the colony, provided the water supply. Sewage canals, that followed the road networks, dumped sewage into the lake.
The city remained unwalled throughout its history. However, from the location of cemeteries, it appears that the city did not expand. Cremation graves were discovered in the north of the square of Perdtemps and in Clémenty.
Iulia Equestris was a colony in Roman law with close ties to 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....
, the capital of the Allobroges
Allobroges
The Allobroges were a Celtic tribe of ancient Gaul, located between the Rhône River and the Lake of Geneva in what later became Savoy, Dauphiné, and Vivarais. Their cities were in the areas of modern-day Annecy, Chambéry and Grenoble, the modern of Isère, and modern Switzerland...
. The city was governed by two duumviri which presided over the decurion
Decurion (administrative)
A decurion was a member of a city senate in the Roman Empire. Decurions were drawn from the curiales class, which was made up of the wealthy middle class citizens of a town society....
council. At times the duumviri were replaced by a praefectus pro duumviri. The city also had an official list of aediles and a praefectus arcendis latrociniis who was commissioned to combat banditry. The Flaminica Augustae were responsible, along with a six-member college of priests (seviri Augustales), for the imperial cult
Imperial cult (ancient Rome)
The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority of the Roman State...
.
Decline
After a long period of peace and prosperity, signs of crisis and general insecurity were increasing in the early 3rd Century. As a result of AlamanniAlamanni
The Alamanni, Allemanni, or Alemanni were originally an alliance of Germanic tribes located around the upper Rhine river . One of the earliest references to them is the cognomen Alamannicus assumed by Roman Emperor Caracalla, who ruled the Roman Empire from 211 to 217 and claimed thereby to be...
invasions of 259 or 260 AD, the forum and the public buildings in the city were razed. The stone blocks were scattered all over the Lake Geneva region. The stones were re-used as building material, especially in Geneva, where about 300 were used in the construction of the wall. But the settlement was not abandoned and a number of signs of settlements after the 3rd Century have been discovered. These include; the large necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
at Clémenty has tombs from the 5th to 8th Centuries, the stone box graves in the Grand-Rue, near an early medieval
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
building with apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s, and the mention of a Civitas Equestrium in the Notitia Gallic around 400 AD. Nyon-Noviodunum, which had already lost much of its prestige and reputation was as a regional capital, now separated from Geneva. Geneva became the center and seat of the diocese which initially fought to administer the territory that had been part of the Colonia.
Rediscovery
In the 18th Century, there were sporadic discoveries of Roman items from the Colonia. Due to the research of local scholars, especially Théophile Wellauer, in the 19th Century these discoveries became frequent and regular. In 1841, the municipality set up a museum to store, catalog, research and display the items that had been found. In 1875 Johann Jakob Müller published, in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, the first overall map of the Colonia. In 1974, the significant discovery of the basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
in the forum
Forum (Roman)
A forum was a public square in a Roman municipium, or any civitas, reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along with the buildings used for shops and the stoas used for open stalls...
, gave the research additional momentum. In 1979, a new museum dedicated to the Roman Colonia was built near the basilica.
Colonia site
The territory of the Colonia stretched between the JuraJura mountains
The Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
, Rhone
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
river and Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. The border with the Helvetii probably ran to Aubonne
Aubonne
Aubonne is a municipality in the district of Morges in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:The municipality was settled very early. The oldest remains are from the Bronze Age. From Roman times, there remain foundations of villas, and from early medieval times, graves.The first documentation...
and later formed the dividing line between the dioceses of Lausanne
Bishop of Lausanne
The Bishop of Lausanne was a Prince-Bishop of the Holy Roman Empire and the Ordinary of the diocese of Lausanne, Switzerland .Bern secularized the bishopric in 1536....
and Geneva. However, it is possible (based on some milestones) that the border ran to the Venoge
Venoge (river)
The Venoge is a Swiss river located in the Canton of Vaud, a confluent of the Rhône River, via Lake Geneva. The Swiss poet Jean Villard Gilles has written a poem about it, La Venoge, in 1954.- Geography :...
and Morge rivers (Morga is Gaulish
Gaulish language
The Gaulish language is an extinct Celtic language that was spoken by the Gauls, a people who inhabited the region known as Gaul from the Iron Age through the Roman period...
for border). The center of the Roman city was on an elevated plateau between the Asse and Cossy rivers, at the same point as the later medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
castle and old town of Nyon. The easily defended hill dominated the lake on which human settlements date back the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
era. On the hill itself, no traces of a pre-Roman settlement have been discovered.
Trade
The Colonia, which was located along roads with Lyon, the capital of the Gauls, AventicumAventicum
Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland . Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches....
, Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica
Augusta Raurica is a Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum in Switzerland. Located on the south bank of the Rhine river about 20 km east of Basel near the villages of Augst and Kaiseraugst, it is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine....
, Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
and Italy and connected by waterways to the Mediterranean and the Rhine was benefited from trade across the western Roman Empire. A port, likely in what is now district Rive, allowed the Colonia to participate in the Lake Geneva trade. Imports included: luxury tableware or products from the Mediterranean, such as amphorae of wine, oil, or fish sauce. However very little is known about exports from the Colonia. The only evidence of exports is a bronze tablet, found near Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
(Castra Regina). It bore the name of the bronze craftsman L. Cusseius Ocellio, who worked in Noviodunum.
The agricultural estates on the outskirts of the Colonia are expected to had been profitable. But the lack of archaeological findings about the type of management, the size of farms and density of the farmers, mean that very little is known about the early farms. Later, a number of villas, large landed estate with luxurious mansions, were built around the town. The villas brought city comforts and Roman lifestyle on the rural areas. One example of this form of romanization, the villa of Commugny
Commugny
Commugny is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-Geography:Commugny has an area, , of . Of this area, or 60.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 19.8% is forested...
with its peristyle
Peristyle
In Hellenistic Greek and Roman architecture a peristyle is a columned porch or open colonnade in a building surrounding a court that may contain an internal garden. Tetrastoon is another name for this feature...
, baths, mosaics and high quality wall paintings was built in the years between 35 and 45 AD.