Sanctuary of the Three Gauls
Encyclopedia
The Sanctuary of the Three Gauls (Tres Galliae) was the focal structure within an administrative and religious complex established by Rome in the very late 1st century BC at Lugdunum
(the site of modern Lyon
in France). Its institution served to federalise and Romanise Gallia Comata as an Imperial province under Augustus
, following the Gallic Wars of his predecessor Julius Caesar
. The distinctively Gallo-Roman development of the Imperial sanctuary and its surrounding complex are well attested by literary, epigraphic, numismatic
and archaeological evidence.
sanctuary at Lugdunum was the earliest and most important institution of its kind in the Western Roman empire. Its establishment at the junction of three new Imperial provinces, later collectively known as Tres Galliae (the Three Gauls), embodied a policy of integrated military, civil and religious settlement among the unstable Western provinces of the newly established Principate
. It was founded by Drusus
in rapid response to a rebellion provoked by the census of Gallia Comata ("long-haired" Gaul) in 12 BC.
Lugdunum provided a centralised, permanent base for the Imperial governorships of Gallia Aquitania
, Gallia Belgica
and Gallia Lugdunensis
, and an annual, Roman-style concilium
(council) for their provincial elites, based on existing Gallic political and religious practices. The monumentally lavish and comprehensively Roman development of the Sanctuary and its associated buildings provided a context for the acculturation of a new Romano-Gallic polity under the pax Romana
, in which the Roman military maintained a relatively discreet local presence.
As stepson to Augustus, Drusus represented the Imperial gens
and as provincial governor, he was also augur. The inaugural day of the sanctuary - August 1 of either 10 BC or 12 BC - was important to both Romans and Gauls. August - formerly Sextilis
in the Roman calendar - had been renamed in honour of Augustus, and its kalends
(the first day of the month) was particularly auspicious as the anniversary of his victory at Alexandria. In the Gallo-celtic calendar, the same day was sacred to the sun-god Lugh, who may have been venerated on the Fourvière
hill at Lugdunum, though no temple has been found. As a sun-god, Lugh could be identified with Roman Sol, Apollo and the Augustan-Stoic concept of the Imperial "saviour" as the "second sun". A foundation (or an inauguration) in 12 AD would have coincided with Augustus' assumption of office as pontifex maximus
. The ara (altar) was dedicated to Dea Roma
and Augustus and its first high priest (sacerdos) was Caius Julius Vercondaridubnus
, a Gaul of the Aedui
an elite. His name indicates his Roman citizenship and Gallic origins - his election to Imperial priesthood may confirm a preference based on his personal standing and that of his civitas
as fratres ("brothers", or allies) of Rome.
Drusus invited 60 aristocratic delegates to the opening ceremony as representatives of the "Three Gauls". These are presumed to be the first members of the official concilium Galliarum. The office of sacerdos required Roman citizenship but the early concilium combined citizen and non-citizens. The sacredos would have been a person of great consequence within the concilium Galliarum and his own provincial ordo
. His influence would have extended well beyond his term of office, which was - unlike the lifetime priesthoods of Rome itself - limited to a single year. In effect, the priesthood provided an important step in the provincial cursus honorum
.
The concilia at Lugdunum were also displays of loyalty and Romanisation, which involved the renewal of vows through priestly sacrifice at the ara, feasting, games (ludi
), contests of eloquence and poetry
. This calendrical gathering was accommodated by the building of a small amphitheatre
, which was later much expanded. Lugdunum was also the site of a major Imperial mint, whose coinage provides a principal source of evidence for the form and development of the altar. The security requirement of the mint has been presumed to account for the presence of Lugdunum's single military cohort.
and his allies at Lugdunum, Septimius Severus
re-founded and reformed its Imperial cult centre as an instrument of suppression and autocracy. The image of dea Roma was removed from the ara and confined to the temple, along with the images of the living and deceased Augusti - a combination unique in the Western Empire. Fishwick interprets the reformed rites of Septimius as those offered a Roman paterfamilias by his slaves. This development took place shortly after 198/9 AD. Its duration and subsequent developments are unknown.
. The first and main altar can be reconstructed from texts and currency depictions. The geographer Strabo
described it in context: "[Lugdunum] is the most populous of all the cities of Celtica except Narbo; for not only do people use it as an emporium, but the Roman governors coin their money there, both the silver and the gold. Again, the temple that was dedicated to Caesar Augustus by all the Galatae in common is situated in front of this city at the junction of the rivers. And in it is a noteworthy altar, bearing an inscription of the names of the tribes, sixty in number; and also images from these tribes, one from each tribe, and also another large altar."
Fishwick suggests that the images (bronze statues) and inscriptions of Strabo's account are stylistically Greek additions to the ara some time after its inauguration. The monumental altar and its 50-meter base were made in marble
. It was flanked by two winged victories of gilt bronze, holding palms and gold crowns, standing on ionic
capitals
, set on columns assumed to be the later source for the four pillars of the transept crossing of the basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay
, which support the dome
. These were made from two longer pillars of red Egyptian porphyry
, recovered in the 11th century and sawn in half. The open altar appears to have been rebuilt (or adapted) as a covered temple in 121 AD, in the reign of Hadrian. The larger altar was the focus of cult to the genius of the living emperor and dea Roma. The temple was dedicated to the cult of deceased Imperial divi, and major Roman and local deities.
This sanctuary was also the find-spot for the Lyon Tablet
, a bronze plaque of 2.5 by 1.93 m on which is engraved Claudius
's 48 AD speech making Gallic chieftains eligible for Roman magistracies and membership of the Roman Senate
- a version of the speech also survives in Tacitus
. It was found by a draper in 1528, in his vineyard on the site of the sanctuary, and is now held in the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon
.
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...
(the site of 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....
in France). Its institution served to federalise and Romanise Gallia Comata as an Imperial province under 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...
, following the Gallic Wars of his predecessor 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....
. The distinctively Gallo-Roman development of the Imperial sanctuary and its surrounding complex are well attested by literary, epigraphic, numismatic
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
and archaeological evidence.
Foundation and function
The Imperial cultImperial 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...
sanctuary at Lugdunum was the earliest and most important institution of its kind in the Western Roman empire. Its establishment at the junction of three new Imperial provinces, later collectively known as Tres Galliae (the Three Gauls), embodied a policy of integrated military, civil and religious settlement among the unstable Western provinces of the newly established Principate
Principate
The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate. The Principate is characterized by a concerted effort on the part of the Emperors to preserve the...
. It was founded by Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
in rapid response to a rebellion provoked by the census of Gallia Comata ("long-haired" Gaul) in 12 BC.
Lugdunum provided a centralised, permanent base for the Imperial governorships of Gallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania
Gallia Aquitania was a province of the Roman Empire, bordered by the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis, Gallia Narbonensis, and Hispania Tarraconensis...
, Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of Gallia Belgica, the Belgae, consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes...
and Gallia Lugdunensis
Gallia Lugdunensis
Gallia Lugdunensis was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic territory of Gaul. It is named after its capital Lugdunum , possibly Roman Europe's major city west of Italy, and a major imperial mint...
, and an annual, Roman-style concilium
Concilium
Concilium is an academic journal of Catholic theology. It was established in 1965 and is published five times a year. The journal was founded by Anton van den Boogaard, Paul Brand, Yves Congar, Hans Küng, Johann Baptist Metz, Karl Rahner, and Edward Schillebeeckx.Its editors and essayists encompass...
(council) for their provincial elites, based on existing Gallic political and religious practices. The monumentally lavish and comprehensively Roman development of the Sanctuary and its associated buildings provided a context for the acculturation of a new Romano-Gallic polity under the pax Romana
Pax Romana
Pax Romana was the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Since it was established by Caesar Augustus it is sometimes called Pax Augusta...
, in which the Roman military maintained a relatively discreet local presence.
As stepson to Augustus, Drusus represented the Imperial gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
and as provincial governor, he was also augur. The inaugural day of the sanctuary - August 1 of either 10 BC or 12 BC - was important to both Romans and Gauls. August - formerly Sextilis
Sextilis
Sextilis was the original Latin name for the sixth month in the Roman calendar. It was renamed Augustus in 8 BC in honor of the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, for two reasons...
in the Roman calendar - had been renamed in honour of Augustus, and its kalends
Kalends
The Calends , correspond to the first days of each month of the Roman calendar. The Romans assigned these calends to the first day of the month, signifying the start of the new moon cycle...
(the first day of the month) was particularly auspicious as the anniversary of his victory at Alexandria. In the Gallo-celtic calendar, the same day was sacred to the sun-god Lugh, who may have been venerated on the Fourvière
Fourvière
Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum...
hill at Lugdunum, though no temple has been found. As a sun-god, Lugh could be identified with Roman Sol, Apollo and the Augustan-Stoic concept of the Imperial "saviour" as the "second sun". A foundation (or an inauguration) in 12 AD would have coincided with Augustus' assumption of office as pontifex maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
. The ara (altar) was dedicated to Dea Roma
Roma (mythology)
In traditional Roman religion, Roma was a female deity who personifed the city of Rome and more broadly, the Roman state. Her image appears on the base of the column of Antoninus Pius.-Problems in earliest attestation:...
and Augustus and its first high priest (sacerdos) was Caius Julius Vercondaridubnus
Caius Julius Vercondaridubnus
Gaius Julius Vercondaridubnus was a Gaul of the civitas of the Aedui. He was the first high priest of the Altar of the Deified Caesar at Lugdunum , which was inaugurated August 1 in either 12 or 10 BCE at the confluence of the Saône and Rhone rivers...
, a Gaul of the Aedui
Aedui
Aedui, Haedui or Hedui , were a Gallic people of Gallia Lugdunensis, who inhabited the country between the Arar and Liger , in today's France. Their territory thus included the greater part of the modern departments of Saône-et-Loire, Côte-d'Or and Nièvre.-Geography:The country of the Aedui is...
an elite. His name indicates his Roman citizenship and Gallic origins - his election to Imperial priesthood may confirm a preference based on his personal standing and that of his civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
as fratres ("brothers", or allies) of Rome.
Drusus invited 60 aristocratic delegates to the opening ceremony as representatives of the "Three Gauls". These are presumed to be the first members of the official concilium Galliarum. The office of sacerdos required Roman citizenship but the early concilium combined citizen and non-citizens. The sacredos would have been a person of great consequence within the concilium Galliarum and his own provincial ordo
Ordo
Ordo may refer to:* A musical phrase constructed from one or more statements of a rhythmic mode pattern and ending in a rest* Ordo , is a nomadic palace for the Mongol aristocrats and the Turkic rulers...
. His influence would have extended well beyond his term of office, which was - unlike the lifetime priesthoods of Rome itself - limited to a single year. In effect, the priesthood provided an important step in the provincial cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
.
The concilia at Lugdunum were also displays of loyalty and Romanisation, which involved the renewal of vows through priestly sacrifice at the ara, feasting, games (ludi
Ludi
Ludi were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people . Ludi were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also presented as part of the cult of state.The earliest ludi were horse races in the circus...
), contests of eloquence and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
. This calendrical gathering was accommodated by the building of a small amphitheatre
Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls
The Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls of Lugdunum was part of the federal sanctuary of the three Gauls dedicated to the cult of Rome and Augustus celebrated by the 60 Gallic tribes when they gathered at Lugdunum...
, which was later much expanded. Lugdunum was also the site of a major Imperial mint, whose coinage provides a principal source of evidence for the form and development of the altar. The security requirement of the mint has been presumed to account for the presence of Lugdunum's single military cohort.
Later Imperial development
Following his defeat of Clodius AlbinusClodius Albinus
Clodius Albinus was a Roman usurper proclaimed emperor by the legions in Britain and Hispania upon the murder of Pertinax in 193.-Life:...
and his allies at Lugdunum, Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus
Septimius Severus , also known as Severus, was Roman Emperor from 193 to 211. Severus was born in Leptis Magna in the province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of...
re-founded and reformed its Imperial cult centre as an instrument of suppression and autocracy. The image of dea Roma was removed from the ara and confined to the temple, along with the images of the living and deceased Augusti - a combination unique in the Western Empire. Fishwick interprets the reformed rites of Septimius as those offered a Roman paterfamilias by his slaves. This development took place shortly after 198/9 AD. Its duration and subsequent developments are unknown.
Sanctuary
The sanctuary was located on the hillside of la Croix-RousseLa Croix-Rousse
This zone is served by the metro line La Croix-Rousse is a hill in the town of Lyon, France, as well as the name of a quarter located on this hill . It is 254m at its peak...
. The first and main altar can be reconstructed from texts and currency depictions. The geographer Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
described it in context: "[Lugdunum] is the most populous of all the cities of Celtica except Narbo; for not only do people use it as an emporium, but the Roman governors coin their money there, both the silver and the gold. Again, the temple that was dedicated to Caesar Augustus by all the Galatae in common is situated in front of this city at the junction of the rivers. And in it is a noteworthy altar, bearing an inscription of the names of the tribes, sixty in number; and also images from these tribes, one from each tribe, and also another large altar."
Fishwick suggests that the images (bronze statues) and inscriptions of Strabo's account are stylistically Greek additions to the ara some time after its inauguration. The monumental altar and its 50-meter base were made in marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
. It was flanked by two winged victories of gilt bronze, holding palms and gold crowns, standing on ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, set on columns assumed to be the later source for the four pillars of the transept crossing of the basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay
St-Martin-d'Ainay
The Basilica of Saint-Martin d'Ainay is a Romanesque church in Ainay in the Presqu'île district in the historic centre of Lyon, France-Legend:...
, which support the dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
. These were made from two longer pillars of red Egyptian porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
, recovered in the 11th century and sawn in half. The open altar appears to have been rebuilt (or adapted) as a covered temple in 121 AD, in the reign of Hadrian. The larger altar was the focus of cult to the genius of the living emperor and dea Roma. The temple was dedicated to the cult of deceased Imperial divi, and major Roman and local deities.
This sanctuary was also the find-spot for the Lyon Tablet
Lyon Tablet
The Lyon Tablet is an ancient bronze tablet that bears the transcript of a speech given by the Roman emperor Claudius. The surviving bottom portion of the tablet was discovered in 1528 by a draper in his vineyard on Croix Rousse Hill , in Lyon, France...
, a bronze plaque of 2.5 by 1.93 m on which is engraved Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
's 48 AD speech making Gallic chieftains eligible for Roman magistracies and membership of the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
- a version of the speech also survives in 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...
. It was found by a draper in 1528, in his vineyard on the site of the sanctuary, and is now held in the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon
Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon
The Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is a museum on the Gallo-Roman civilisation in Lyon , previously located in the heart of the Roman city and now sited near the city's Roman theatre on the Fourvière hill, half-buried into the hillside on the edge of the archaeological site. The new building was...
.