Via Domitia
Encyclopedia
The Via Domitia was the first Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
built in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, to link Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
through 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...
, across what is now southern 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...
. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, so old that it traces the mythic route travelled by Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
. Hannibal traversed it on his way from Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
to Italy.
It was constructed in 118 BC
118 BC
Year 118 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cato and Rex...
by the proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (consul 122 BC)
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was consul of Rome in 122 BC. He was the son of the Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus who was consul in 162 BC....
, whose name it bore; it was built around the same time the first Roman colony in Gaul, Colonia Narbo Martius (Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
) was founded. The Via Domitia connected Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
. Crossing the Alps by the easiest passage, the Col de Montgenèvre
Col de Montgenèvre
The Col de Montgenèvre is a high mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, between France and Italy.The pass takes its name from the village Montgenèvre , which lies in the vicinity...
(1850 m), it followed the valley of 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:...
, crossed the Rhône
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...
at Beaucaire passed through Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
(Nemausus) then followed the coastal plain along the Gulf of Lion
Gulf of Lion
The Gulf of Lion is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence in France, reaching from the border with Catalonia in the west to Toulon.The chief...
. At Narbonne, it met the Via Aquitania
Via Aquitania
The Via Aquitania was a Roman road created in 118 BC in the Roman province of Gaul. It started at Narbonne, where it connected to the Via Domitia...
(which led toward the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
through Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
). Thus Narbonne was a crucial strategic crossroads of the Via Domitia and the Via Aquitania, and it was an accessible, but well-defendable, port at that time. This "cusp point" in the Roman westwards expansion and ensuing supply, communication and fortification was a very important asset, and was treated as such (see Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
). In between the cities that it linked, the Via Domitia was provided with a series of mansio
Mansio
In the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.-Background:The roads which traversed the Ancient World, were later surveyed,...
nes at distances of a day's journey for a loaded cart, at which shelter, provender and fresh horses could be obtained for travellers on official business.
The route as it was in Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
is represented in schematic fashion on the Tabula Peutingeriana
Tabula Peutingeriana
The Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa...
.
Route
This route can be traced on topographical maps overprinted with the ancient route, in G. Castellve, J.-B. Compsa, J. Kotarba and A. Pezin, eds. Voies romaines du Rhône à l'Èbre: Via Domitia et Via Augusta (DAF 61) Paris 1997.- BriançonBriançonBriançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
(Brigantio) - ChorgesChorgesChorges is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.It is close to Gap. The name Chorges derives from Latin Catorimagus, itself coming from the Alpine tribe of the Caturiges in the ancient Roman province of Alpes Maritimae....
(Caturigomagus) - GapGap, Hautes-AlpesGap 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...
(Vapincum) - Le Monetier Allemont (Alabons)
- EmbrunEmbrun, Hautes-AlpesEmbrun is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Description:...
(EburodunumEmbrun, Hautes-AlpesEmbrun is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Description:...
) - SisteronSisteronSisteron is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Sisteron is situated on the banks of the River Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse...
(Segustero) - LursLurs, Alpes-de-Haute-ProvenceLurs is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It is noted for the triple murder nearby of Jack Drummond and his wife and daughter in 1952.-Population:...
(Alaunium) - CéresteCéresteCéreste is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-History:A Gallo-Roman period settlement was established in the quarter of today's Saint-Sauveur priory, possibly as a crossing control point for the river...
(Catuiacia) - AptApt, VaucluseApt is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It lies on the left bank of the Calavon, east of Avignon...
(Apta Julia) - Notre Dame des Lumières (Ad Fines)
- CavaillonCavaillonCavaillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:The Calavon, a tributary of the Durance locally called Coulon, flows westward through the middle of the commune....
(Cabellio) - Saint-Rémy-de-ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
(GlanumGlanumGlanum was an oppidum, or fortified town, founded by a Celto-Ligurian people called the Salyens in the 6th century B.C.,. It was known for the healing power of its spring. It became a Roman city in Provence until its abandonment in 260 A.D....
) - Saint-GabrielTarasconTarascon , sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
(Ernaginum) - Beaucaire (Ugernum)
- NîmesNîmesNîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
(NemaususNemaususDeus Nemausus is often said to have been the Celtic patron god of Nemausus . The god does not seem to have been worshipped outside of this locality...
) - AmbrussumAmbrussumAmbrussum is a Roman archaeological site in Villetelle, Hérault département, in southern France.It is close to the modern town Lunel, between Nîmes and Montpellier...
- Lunel-Vieil
- Castelnau-le-LezCastelnau-le-LezCastelnau-le-Lez is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-References:*...
(Sextantio) - MontpellierMontpellier-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
route remains unknown - MontbazinMontbazinMontbazin is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are referred to as Montbazinois.-Administration:-Demography:-References:* -External links:...
(Forum Domitii) - MèzeMèzeMèze is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Its inhabitants are called Mézois.-Geography:...
- PinetPinet, HéraultPinet is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-References:* Based on the French Wikipedia....
- Saint-ThibérySaint-ThibérySaint-Thibéry is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-See also:* Roman Bridge* Via Domitia* Communes of the Hérault department-References:*...
(Cessero) and its Roman bridgeRoman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry)The Roman Bridge at Saint-Thibéry was a Roman segmental arch bridge on the Via Domitia in southern France. The partly surviving structure crossed the river Hérault in Saint-Thibéry, 17 km east of Béziers.- Construction :... - BéziersBéziersBéziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
(Baeterris) - NarbonneNarbonneNarbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
(Narbo Martius) At Narbonne, a section of the Via Domitia is exposed in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville. The Via Domitia crossed the Atax (the AudeAudeAude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
) by a seven-arched bridge at the site of the Pont des Marchands. - FitouFitouFitou is a large French wine appellation in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The dominant vine variety is Carignan which has to constitute 40% of any blend. Grenache, Lladoner Pelut Fitou is a large French wine appellation in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The dominant vine variety is Carignan which...
(Ad Viscensimum) - Salses (Ad Salsulae)
- PerpignanPerpignan-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
- RuscinoRuscinoRuscino is a genus of moth in the family Arctiidae.-References:*...
At Ruscino, the road separates in two: the Inland Route and the Coastal Route, which rejoin at La Junquera.
Coastal Route
- ElneElneElne is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies in the former province of Roussillon, of which it was the first capital, being later replaced by Perpignan...
(IlliberisIlliberisIlliberis may refer to:* Illiberis, a.k.a. Iliberris, Illiberi Liberini, ancient name for Granada* Illiberis, a.k.a. Illibere, ancient name for Elne- See also :* Elimberri, a.k.a. Auch* Elumberris, a.k.a. Lombez...
) - Saint-CyprienSaint-Cyprien, LoireSaint-Cyprien is a commune in the Loire department in central France.-References:*...
- Argelès
- CollioureCollioureCollioure is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies on the Mediterranean and was a part of the ancient Roussillon province....
- Port-VendresPort-VendresPort-Vendres is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.A typical Mediterranean fishing port, situated near the Spanish border on the cote Vermeille in south west France, Port-Vendres is renowned for its numerous fish and sea food restaurants. You can watch the fishing...
(Portus Veneris) - Banyuls
Inland Route
- MontescotMontescotMontescot is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
- Le BoulouLe BoulouLe Boulou is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
- Les ClusesLes ClusesLes Cluses is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
(ClausuraeClausuraeThe Clausurae is a modern term used by scholars to define short cut-off walls erected in order to block narrow defiles, mountainn passes, etc....
) - Le PerthusLe PerthusLe Perthus is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Inhabitants are called Perthusiens and, as of 2006, inhabitants were 582.-Geography:...
(Col de Panissars), at the Trophy of Pompey
Rejoins at:
- La Junquera (Deciana)
Here the Via Augusta
Via Augusta
Via Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
begins.
Roman bridges
- For an overview of the location of Roman bridges, see List of Roman bridges.
There are the remains of several Roman bridges along the road, including the Roman Bridge of Saint-Thibéry
Roman Bridge (Saint-Thibéry)
The Roman Bridge at Saint-Thibéry was a Roman segmental arch bridge on the Via Domitia in southern France. The partly surviving structure crossed the river Hérault in Saint-Thibéry, 17 km east of Béziers.- Construction :...
, the Pont Ambroix
Pont Ambroix
The Pont Ambroix or Pont d'Ambrussum was a 1st century BC Roman bridge in the south of France which was part of the Via Domitia. It crossed the Vidourle at Ambrussum, between today's Gallargues-le-Montueux in the Gard department and Villetelle in the Hérault department.In the High Middle Ages, a...
at Ambrussum
Ambrussum
Ambrussum is a Roman archaeological site in Villetelle, Hérault département, in southern France.It is close to the modern town Lunel, between Nîmes and Montpellier...
, the Pont Julien
Pont Julien
The Pont Julien is a Roman stone arch bridge over the Calavon river in the south-east of France dating to 3 BC.It is located in the territory of the commune of Bonnieux, north of the village of the same name, and...
and the Pont Serme
Pont Serme
The Pont Serme or Pons Selinus, later called the Pons Septimus, was a Roman bridge of the Via Domitia in Hérault, southern France. The approximately 1500 m long viaduct crossed the wide marshes of the Orb River and the Etang de Capestang west of Béziers, surpassing in terms of length even the...
.