The Roman town of Vienne - Gallia Lugdunensis 2

 A view from Mount Pipet above the Roman theatre and looking up the Rhone and across the river to Saint Romain-en-Gal

I stood on the platform at Gare Part Dieu waiting for my train. The announcement for the arrival of the train had been made and I patiently waited for it. The train was destined for Gare St Charles in Marseille, and stopping at Vienne en route. The announcement referred to platform "E", but in French, as everybody knows,  the letter "I" is pronounced "E". Consequently, as I was inquiring from the stationmaster about my train on platform "E", he retorted by pointing across a couple of platforms, gesticulating at a train as it glided easily out of the station on time. An hour or so later I was on my way south heading towards Vienne. That evening Corinne would say that I might have made the same mistake if it was announced as platform "G", because of course as everybody knows the letter "J" is pronounced as "G". She smiled and inquired if I had felt terribly stupid at the time. Not sensing any sympathy I also smiled and ignored the comment.

If I had little interest in Roman Archaeology and the Roman provinces of Gaul and Germania, I might never have heard of Vienne and possibly might not have expressed an interest in stopping there for a visit. Prior to the arrival of the Romans, Vienne was the capital city of the Allobroges tribe, one of the most powerful Gallic tribes controling territory that stretched from the Rhone valley to the Alps. While the Allobroges had some contact and relations with Rome prior to the Gallic Wars, their fate was inevitable once Julius Caesar showed up in Gaul with his legions. The settlement was elevated to the status of a Colonia and despite the turbulent political chicanery of the late Roman Republic Colonia Julia Vienna flourished, in tandem with its neighbour Lugdunum [Lyon]. 

Both Lugdunum and Vienna thrived enjoying all the favour and infrastructure that one would associate with prominent Roman cities. They both had an Odeon and Theatre built, and both cities had a circus for chariot racing, a true barometer of a high level of romanisation. Most people associate the amphitheatre and circus buildings with Roman urban infrastructure. However, the circus was in fact quite rare and typically associated with provincial capitals. Four were built in Gaul; Lugdunum [Lyon], Vienna [Vienne], Arelate {Arles] and Santos [Saintes].  The structures of most of these circuses are no longer visible; the circus in Vienne was excavated during the 19th Century and early 20th Century and little of it remains visible today. However, in Vienne one of the obelisks from the spina still remains in its original position.  The date for the Circus is not definite but it may have been developed at a similar time to the one at Lugdunum, which we know from inscription evidence was developed or extended during the 2nd Century A.D.

 

Obelisk, known locally as La Pyramide, from the Roman circus at Vienne

The future of another Roman circus is currently lying in the balance, a little further north of Gaul, at Colchester in England. Known to the Romans as Camulodunum, this site was a provincial capital and while its prominence may have waned with the passage of time, it is obvious that the settlement enjoyed considerable status in the Roman Britain, and the citizens of Camulodunum appear to have had a keen interest in chariot racing. The circus was discovered in 2004 and may be consigned to history in the near future. I would respectfully suggest that replacing a Roman circus with a modern residential development is an act of vandalism and a desperate error in judgment.

View looking north across the cavea of the theatre, Vienne

 

The theatre in Vienne commands dramatic views over the town, and indeed up and down the Rhone river valley. The archaeological finds from the vicinity of the theatre suggest it was constructed in the mid 1st Century A.D. Constructed against the end of the colline Pipet with small valleys or cuts on either side, the site proved to be the perfect location for a large theatre facilitating the construction larges structures on either side for the management of the spectators access and egress. The diameter of the theatre is 129.8 meters, and it is estimated it could have seated 11,000 spectators. In form, the theatre at Vienne was quite similar to the one at Orange; it originally had a large scaenae frons structure estimated to have been 32 meters in height. The scaenae frons would have been roofed and was terminated at either end by a large basilica block. The orchestra measured 19 meters from which the vast cavea rose quite steeply to a height of 28.5 meters. Underneath the cavea there are the two hemispherical barrel vaulted passages or vomitoria facilitating the easy movemnt of  the spectators. Neither the extremities of these passages nor the cavea and seating above them have been restored.

View looking south across the cavea of the theatre, Vienne

I arrived mid morning and the sun had still not brought about a rise in the air temperature. The orchestra and cavea of the theatre were coated in an undisturbed perfect white covering of snow. It was surprising the theatre was open, but I managed to clamber around eager to experiece the great prospects across the theatre from either end of the summa cavea.  Underfoot the cavea was lethal; as I walked across the modern flat stage below I had slipped several times and 28 meters above the orchestra I took the greatest of care moving around.

During the 18th Century the structure was believed to be the vestiges of a Roman amphitheatre. This long held belief was born out by the street name in the area, because the street that runs along the front of the theatre is called Rue du Cirque. The restoration began on the cavea when a number of properties were purchased allowing for the clearance, excavation and restoration of the site. The theatre finally opened in 1938 and today just over 2/3 of the cavea is available for seating.

 View looking down on the cavea and orchestra from the top of the hill behind the theatre

Prior to this excursion in Lyon, while lunching with my new found friends at Les Adrets on Rue du Boeuf, I was advised to take the time to have lunch at Vienne. After visiting the theatre, and climbing up to the top of colline Pipet behind the theatre, a hunger had set in. I made my way back down through the town and towards 34 Cours du Verdun and to a restaurant called Les Saveurs du Marche, which I was reliably informed was one of the best places to eat in Vienne. I was not disappointed and enjoyed a simple well prepared and presented formule du midi, accompanied by the habitual pot of Cote du Rhone. 

The portico of temple of the divine Augustus and Livia, Place Charles de Gaulle, Vienne

Time was running out and there was still a lot to see in Vienne. The modern town of Vienne has not developed greatly in the last 2000 years. Newer buildings have clearly employed the stones of their predecessors and in no place is this more evident than Place Charles de Gaulle. One of the most interesting Roman monuments in Vienne is the Temple of the divine Augustus and Livia. The temple benefited from the attentions of Prosper Merimee, who was responsible for it being classified as a national monument, along with other sites in Vienne, in 1840.  On the 24th July 1835 Merimee published his "Notes d'un voyage dans le midi de la France". He visited Vienne on his tour of France in his capacity as Inspector of National Monuments and made the following comments on the condition of this temple:
"My first place to visit was the museum, presently established in a little antique temple, which was in the past converted to a church and horribly disfigured. The columns which surrounded the cella were now engaged in an ugly masonry, and if this was not enough of a barbarity, they have also chipped away the fluting of the columns, for the purpose of aligning them with the enclosing wall."

Significantly the temple in Vienne is one of two Roman temples left in tact in France, the other being the Maison Carree at Nimes. The masonry walls have now been taken away and the columns, some of which have been ravaged by time and the masons chisel, continue to support the architrave and entablature and pediment of the temple. Place Charles de Gaulle is today raised above the antique levels and an incline rises slightly towards the west side, and despite being set on a lower level of the square the temple surrounded by its barrier, stands with great stature and importance surrounded by more recent featureless and irregular constructions.  

 

A broken colossal head neatly placed on an upturned capital, Musee Archeologique Eglise St-Pierre

Much of the collection of stones, cut masonry, and statuary that would have been found in the Museum at Vienne visited by Merimee in the 1830s must now be in the Musee Archeologique Eglise St Pierre. This building is one of the oldest Churches in France dating back to the 5th and 6th Century and was most likely built on Roman foundations. Wandering around the large blocks which carry the marks of some distant important message, one finds broken colossal heads and elsewhere sandaled feet. I recently saw pictures of similar pieces being hauled out of the ground in Turkey at Sagalossos, and thereafter at the British Museum where some of the same items were displayed in the exhibition on Hadrian. In Vienne today these giant sculptures are hidden in a dimly lighted church dating to the 5th century, underneath which are to be found the foundations of ancient walls, streets, sewers and graves of a prolific Roman town.
 

A marble statue of Tutela, a Gallo-Roman goddess associated with Vienne

More recent discoveries found in excavations are exhibited in this museum, of which the statue of Tutela is the most striking. It stands out as being one of the more better preserved objects in the collection and was found during the excavation of the baths or thermes in 1954. Among the mosaics to be seen in this collection is the mosaic of the masks which is attributed to mosaic workers of the third Century A.D.. There are a vast array of objects to be found in this collection which are the soul surviving components of structures from the Roman town, and many of these items only exist today through the efforts of Pierre Schneyder who collected, recorded and investigated the vestiges of Roman structures during the latter half of the 18th Century. 

 Detail of mosaic of the masks at Musee Archeologique Eglise St-Pierre

Across the river Rhone is the smaller modern town of St Romain-en-Gal, which was an affluent residential and commerical area of the Roman town of Vienna. Discoveries of mosaics and other artifacts have been occurring in this area for over two hundred years, many being lost forever due to the weather, once exposed, or the use of the land. The area was well preserved because in the years subsequent to the Roman occupation, it was used primarily as an orchard, and not developed. However, as it was about to be built upon in the late 1960s, further discoveries were made and since 1981 a team of archeologists have been on site. In 1985 the site was classified as an historic monument and a museum now stands above a portion of the 7 hectare site housing many of the mosaics and finds from the excavations.

 

Central panel from an Orpheus mosaic, Musee Gollo Romain Saint Romain-en-Gal 

Mosaic from Musee Gollo Romain Saint Romain-en-Gal 

The Musee Gallo Romain Saint Romain-en-Gal, exhibits a magnificent amount of material found in the excavations. They reveal details of everyday life of the people that lived in Roman Vienna, and in particular the surroundings associated with the wealthy residential dwellings they occupied. Consequently, it is an important insight into the cultural identity of an important economic and commercial urban centre in Gaul. Many of the mosaics are well preserved however the two Orpheus mosaics found survive in fragmentary form. Portions of colourful frescoes that adorned the walls have also been excavated and preserved; one does not have to be too imaginative to envisage examples of the better preserved decoration from the walls in Pompeii and Boscoreale existing in Vienne.

It is surprising how much is visible of Roman Vienna and indeed the extent of the areas which are still to be investigated and excavated. As I have suggested, the Roman remains rest just below the surface or form part of the fabric of the Modern town of Vienne. A number of sites are undeveloped and await attention. One such structure is the Odeon which was built into the hillside of Saint-Juste. It is important because very few Roman towns were provided with a theatre and an Odeon; in particular only Lyon and Vienne had an Odeon and theatre complexes in Gaul. The Odeon in Lugdunum [Lyon] is quite well restored, however the Odeon in Vienne remains closed to the public. One can view the Odeon from further up the hillside of Saint-Just and look down upon the cavea structure without the seating, which would have been similar to the condition Prosper Merimee would have seen the theatre in the early 19th Century.

 A view through a locked gate of the Odeon at Vienne

The cavea of the Vienne Odeon structure measured 72 meters in diameter and had an orchestra which measured 22.3 meters in diameter. The Odeon at Lyon measured 73 meters in diameter and hence one cannot resist making comparisons between these structures. There was an impressive outer hemispherical wall pierced by three doorways, in much the same way as the Odeon built in Lyon. At Vienne the pulpitum, pro scaenum and portions of the scaenae frons area are still visible depite the covering of snow, when I saw this overgrown and dilapidated parcel of ground. The construction of the Odeon at Vienne probably dates to the second century A.D. and would have been a well decorated structure with statuary, and marble veneers from across the Roman Empire.

My visit to Vienne was brief, but I did managed to get a good understanding of the Roman town that existed there. In fact, I was left with an impression that Rome and its culture was not as distant as it could have been; the veins of the citizens of Vienna clearly ran with loyal Roman blood, and that there was a strong connection with not only Rome, but the Empire itself. In particular, what struck me was the wealth of material found at Vienne and in contrast the lack of material to be found in Orange, which would have been in the heart of Gallia Narbonnensis. This may be due to a lack of opportunities to investigate and excavate the lands surrounding Orange, but I did form the opinion from leafing through the field archeology magazines on the news stand waiting for my train, that discoveries of Roman villas and sites continued and that a great deal of Roman archeology remained hidden just below the surface of many French villages and towns.

An evening view looking south down the Rhone river valley from Vienne

A short trip to Lyon - Gallia Lugdunensis 1

A view across the Rhone towards Notre Dame de Fourviere

It was 20 years since I had been to Lyon and back then I did not stop for too long before moving on to my ultimate destination to the southeast of Lyon. For this trip, at the end of January, I decided to read up on Lyon to identify a few sights I would like to visit and add to my basic knowledge of the city, and its culture. I decided to refer to Elizabeth David's book on Provincial French Cooking, but I was surprised at her comments. She was of the opinion that one must be a Lyonnais to properly appreciate the local cooking and then proceeded to moan in an unappreciative manner about the anti climax that she experienced from the fountainhead of French cuisine. I suppose I should not be surprised to read this from somebody who ignored the Jura and Franche Comte in the same publication, but it still a good book despite these shortcomings. To assist me on my journey, I decided to travel with three books The cuisine of the Rose by Mireille Johnston, The White Cities by Joseph Roth, and Roman Gaul and Germany by Anthony King.

 

Lyon is not a monumental and decadent city in the mould of Paris. This ancient city has grown up and expanded at the confluence of two of France's most important waterways; the Rhone and the Saone. The Roman colony of Lugdunum was founded in 43 B.C by Lucius Munatius Plancus, a leading officer serving under Julius Caesar during his campaigns and battles to subdue the Gallic tribes. The site chosen by this officer, who is also reputed to have founded Augusta Raurica in 44 B.C. not far from Basel, was previously a Gallic hill fort occupied by the Segusiani, and today this vantage point towers over Lyon and is known as the Fourviere hill. Its significant position on the Rhone and Saone lended this site to being used as an administrative centre with easy and speedy access north and south on the navigable river systems which passed through the city. Over the next three hundred years this settlement would be favoured by a number of Emperors and Lugdunum flourished as a result. Features of this development still visible today are the numerous aqueducts, theatre, odeon and the amphitheatre.

A view looking south across the Roman theatre, Fourviere, Lyon

The steep featured flanks of the Fourviere descend to the Rhone and a number of bridges and passerelles make communication with Presqu'ile quite easy. As the name suggests, Presqu'ile is not quite an island but a strip of land that has been cut and narrows to a point where it finally reaches the confluence of the Rhone and Saone.

Roman Gaul is proving to be a tourist attraction for the modern town of Lyon and the Roman theatre on the Fourviere hill is the most visible representation of this period of the city's history. When the Roman builders arrived on site in or about 15 B.C. to build the first theatre structure in Gaul, they must have welcomed the prospect of building a theatre structure on this site because the steep hillsides in the vicinity could be easily employed in the construction of a theatre. While the slopes would minimise the need for a freestanding outer wall and a complicated series of vaults, arches and supports there are visible remains of radial substructures supporting the cavea. The theatre measures 108 meters in diameter which makes it a little larger than those built at Arles (Arelate) and Orange (Arausio). The remains of three cavea are visible, the media cavea and summa cavea are only to be identified by the series of vaults and hemispherical wall structures that would have supported them, and the remains of the ruined vomitoria quite immense. The date of the initial construction of this theatre places it firmly within the reign of the Emperor Augustus and there is evidence to suggest it was restored and extended during the reign of Hadrian, and it is suggested the scaena frons was added during this period.

A view looking west towards the cavea of the Roman theatre, Fourviere, Lyon

Although it faces east and overlooks most of the city of Lyon today, the scaena frons structure situated in front of the seating would originally have been approximately 30 meters high, and thus the great panoramic view to be seen today over Lyon would have been not a particular feature of this theatre. The structure would have been ornately decorated and some elegantly carved column bases are to be found on site today.  The hillside has a number of other interesting structures, and just to the south can be found the Roman odeon which is thought to have been constructed during the 2nd Century A.D. This is 73 meters in diameter and also backs onto the hillside for support and its cavea are surrounded by an immense boundary or outer wall, which is quite distinctive and sets it apart from its neighbour the theatre. The orchestra measures 21 meters in diameter and is decorated in opus sectile with porphyry and other exotic stones and marbles from the distant far flung corners of the Roman Empire.

A column base from the Roman theatre site

To the north of the theatre and also nestled into the hillside is the musee de la civilisation gallo-romaine the exhibition spaces of which are sunk into the hillside. It houses an important collection of sarcophagi, inscriptions, decorative mosaics and other materials found in excavations from the area. The mosaic of the circus race is quite well preserved and evidence of the fact that one of the four circus tracks to be found in the Gallic provinces was located not too far from the Fourviere hill, and in close proximity to the Gier Aqueduct. The aqueduct may have been the source of the water used in the fountains along the spina depicted in the mosaic.

Detail of the Circus Mosaic, Musee de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine, Lyon

The remains of the amphitheatre are to be found to the north west of Place des Terreaux. Leaving this grand square, travelling north, and proceeding towards the district of La Croix Rousse, it was not long before I was walking up a steep hill into which the amphitheatre was built in circa 19 A.D. This is another example of the Roman engineers and builders exploitation of the terrain to construct and support their structures.

 The remains of the amphitheatre, La Croix Rousse, Lyon

The amphitheatre was excavated and investigated in circa 1818, and the quartier was developed thereafter. The remains, which are now incorporated into a garden, are presently covered by roads, modern buildings and indeed cut in half by a tunnel built to alleviate the flow of traffic leading up to La Croix Rousse. The size of the amphitheatre is debatable but is clear that it was improved and extended through the centuries and must have been an impressive sight. Some commentators are of the opinion the structure was smaller than those at Arles and Nimes. However my impression is that, in its most developed state the amphitheatre in Lugdunum would have been as significant as the amphitheatres built at Arles and Nimes. The principal difference in Lugdunum, is that the amphitheatre was both reliant upon and contained by terrain it was built into.

An important inscription was found in 1957 yielded evidence for not only the build date but the people who financed its construction; the inscription pays testament and records the fact that a Gallo-Roman family from Saintes (Santons), most likely seeking to underline its loyalty to Rome and the Emperor, constructed the amphitheatre at their own expense. It must be noted that there is also a magnificent amphitheatre to be found not far form the centre of Saintes.
 

 An aerial view of the amphitheatre using Google Earth

Having left Corinne at the ugly Gare SNCF Perrache, (she was going home for the day), I struck out for La Croix Rousse on foot. After viewing the amphitheatre, I descended through the town peering in through the windows of various boulangeries as I went. This city has a number of sweets and delicacies which were invented here, and can only be found elsewhere in specialist shops. The lush red pralines, crystalline crusty coated almonds, appear in most windows in one guise or another; dotted in various types of sweetened bread or tart pralinee or sables pralinees. The choclatier Voisin has a number of stores around the city, and they are responsible for the famous coussin de Lyon; a sugared elegant green marzipan filled with rich chocolate grenache in the shape of a cushion.

I crossed the city towards Fourviere and climbed the steep hill, absolutely breathless and weak by the time I found the theatre in bright winter sunshine. The day was bitterly cold and nobody was there. After spending half an hour wandering around looking for the remains of the aqueducts, and various mausoleums, I was quite conscious of the fact that the bells had stopped chiming in the nearby churches, and lunch would be now available. Wandering back through the streets of St Just towards Vieux Lyon, I eventually arrived at the point where I had commenced my ascent of the Fourviere hill at the top of Rue du Boeuf.

The path of least resistance led me down the narrow cobbled street to a restaurant on Rue du Boeuf called Les Adrets. Being both hungry and thirsty, I entered a long narrow dining room paved with tiles with strained and heavily deflected ,wooden beams overhead. It was full but a space at a table was found and I ordered terrine de gibier to be followed by tete de veau along with a refreshing pot of cote du rhone. Despite being obviously foreign, my choises engendered me to those sitting beside me, and they inquired about my little adventure and what I places I had visited and offered advice on what I should see next.

In the restaurants of Lyon you frequently end up wondering if there is anything that you would like to eat on the menu. You need to be adventurous. The menus can be viewed with some intrepidation if you are anxious about ordering various types of tripe, offal or combinations of both. My tete de veau probably shortened my life by two weeks, but it was unctuous and bitter and satisfying; the mellow sweet flavour of the gelatinous fat was cut by a parsley vinaigrette dressing. This dish would be relished and devoured, without a second thought, by a boatman who had been working his vessel up the Rhone, from perhaps Valence, for the previous 20 hours, against a strong current and a bitterly cold mistral wind. Arriving at the quays in Lyon, with his hands paralysed by the cold wind, this dish would have revived such a man. My meal was finished with a fantastically rich quenelle of chocolate mousse and a coffee, and the knowledge that I would be sentenced to at least three months hard labour for eating everything that put in front of me on this trip.

Opus reticulatum and opus mixtum still visible on a support of the Gier Aqueduct, Lyon

As Lugdunum thrived in the 1st Century A.D. the requirement to augment the water supply became a necessity and it was decided that four aqueducts would be built to attend to this need. The longest of the aquaeducts is 86 kilometres in lenght using the river Gier as its source. Evidence from inscriptions and archaeology has not been of great assistance in the dating of this aqueduct. Some archaeology suggests it could have been constructed during the reign of Augustus but it is more likely that it was operational under the reign of Claudius. Inscriptions found at Chagnon and St Joseph date to the reign of Hadrian and introduce a ban on ploughing and sewing in the vicinity of the aqueduct.

I have already refered tothe lenghty pondering I experienced reading a number of Lyonnais restaurant menus, and my chosen reading prior to the trip had not fully prepared me for this very distinctive cuisine. The books probably were too heavily influenced by Dijon and the Bourgogne and neglected the indigenous fare of the Lyonnais. Over the five days of thisparticular visit I have discovered the Bouchon, which is a type of Lyonnais restaurant serving earthy, homely food, but typically Lyonnais using just about every edible part of a pig, cow, chicken or available fish; lentils, onions and macaroni are a feature of the Lyonnais cuisine.

The first Bouchon we dined in was La Meuniere. It was one the most enjoyable meals I have ever had. Most of the prepared food was laid out on a bench in the middle of the very dated and somehow complimentary dining room. It appeared not to have been decorated since the 50s or 60s and was somewhat spartan in appearance, however posters celebrating Beaujolais wine served as a strong suggestion as to what you should be ordering with your meal. The staff engaged with you in a very familiar way, and some diners received a reproach for failing to clear their plates. While I had a terrine to start, I decided to have poulet fermier a la vinaigre for my main course. I did not expect this dish to be as agreeable as it was. It was very good. Thereafter, I received slap on the hand when I thought the canut, a soft cream cheese with herbs and garlic, was my cheese course of preference. Instead I was directed to two large wooden boards full of locally produced cheeses.

The next Bouchon, was the similarly celebrated Le Garet. The menu of the day was noteworthy because it sums up for me what Lyonnais cuisine is all about; Salade de dent lion aux oreilles de cochon (a salad of dandilions with pigs ears); Omlette a la truffe Francaise; Ris de veau a la creme et champignons. I began my meal with an offering of five bowls from the kitchen containing, Lentil salad, mousseau (pickled face of cow thinly sliced), pied de veau, saucisson de veau et cochon, and tripe; collectively known as salad de cochonailles. A pot of Crozes Hermitage worked very well with this selection and the following plate of le tablier du sapeur, which was a section of marinated and fried tripe. The dessert was a homemade blackcurrant ice cream, barely sweetened, which was served with a bottle of vieux marc to use as you pleased, and I did!

 Some of the creations of the Patissier and choclatier Richard Seve

Food forms a very important part of Lyonnais living and they are proud of their traditional servings and just as proud of their influences on the new modern cuisine developing in France today. It is not based upon fusion or any passing weakness for a modish taste but merely a celebration and presentation of French food and its industry at its very best. The master boulangers, patissiers and affineurs that base themselves in Les Halles Paul Bocuse are representative of this ideal. They are some the best boulangers and patissiers in France and strive to produce the best quality food to a very high standard. You rarely witness crowds of people surrounding a butcher stall focusing on a butcher dressing a rack of lamb but this occurs most days at les Halles Paul Bocuse.

Street markets are also a feature of Lyon life, as they are of most French villages, towns and cities. Local producers sell their fresh vegetables and fruit and anything else they think the pubic will purchase. I spotted one vendor selling walnuts, walnut spreads, and huile de noix; the oil produced from the pressing of the walnuts. They also sold the tourteaux de noix, which is the dried remains of the pressed walnuts. It can be used much in much the same way as chestnut flour to flavour flour in making biscuits or in general baking.

My personal preference leans towards the everyday and traditional food of the bouchon which preserves the old dishes in an unglamorous and less ostentatious way. This food is generally consumed with the three princes of Lyon; Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, or Crozes Hermitage and after a few days my fear and intrepidation has turned, with a little understanding, into a sense of surprise at every menu. This understanding will no doubt encourage me to return and continue my exploration of the Gallo Roman ruins.