PART III <strong>ROMAN</strong> TOWNS IN ITALY AND THE WEST Urbanization <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls: some observations J F Dr<strong>in</strong>kwater In this paper I <strong>in</strong>tend to exam<strong>in</strong>e certa<strong>in</strong> aspects of <strong>the</strong> urbanization of <strong>the</strong> Augustan prov<strong>in</strong>ces of Aquitania, Lugdunensis, <strong>and</strong> Belgica <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> period from <strong>the</strong> Caesarian conquest to <strong>the</strong> establishment of <strong>the</strong> Gallic <strong>Empire</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 3rd century AD (Fig 38). I deliberately exclude consideration of Narbonensis under <strong>the</strong> High <strong>Empire</strong> <strong>and</strong> of Gaul as a whole under <strong>the</strong> later <strong>Empire</strong>, both for economy of pr<strong>in</strong>t <strong>and</strong> because I feel that <strong>the</strong> development of nor<strong>the</strong>rn Gaul under <strong>the</strong> Pr<strong>in</strong>cipate requires separate <strong>and</strong> particular attention. The paper is divided <strong>in</strong>to four sections. In <strong>the</strong> first I will briefly review present th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g on Gallo-Roman urbanization <strong>in</strong> general. Special reference will be made to pre- Roman antecedents <strong>and</strong> to <strong>the</strong> emergence of <strong>the</strong> civitas capitals, <strong>the</strong>ir function, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir appearance. The second section is devoted to a close <strong>in</strong>vestigation of two aspects of Gallo-Roman civitas capitals, namely <strong>the</strong>ir defences <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir chronology. The third section exam<strong>in</strong>es <strong>the</strong> significance of orthogonal street plann<strong>in</strong>g; <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> fourth attempts to carry discussion beyond <strong>the</strong> major urban centres to <strong>the</strong> vici <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> sanctuaries. Urbanization <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls Students of Roman Brita<strong>in</strong> are sometimes compelled to supplement <strong>the</strong> ra<strong>the</strong>r meagre <strong>in</strong>formation for this isl<strong>and</strong> with <strong>the</strong> much richer literary, epigraphical, <strong>and</strong> archaeological material to be found across <strong>the</strong> Channel. However, at <strong>the</strong> outset it is probably fair to concede that <strong>the</strong>y should be little surprised by, <strong>and</strong> will have little to learn from, <strong>the</strong> present state of <strong>the</strong> evidence, <strong>and</strong> its <strong>in</strong>terpretation, for <strong>the</strong> urbanization of <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls. Recent years have seen <strong>the</strong> publication of useful monographs on important sites <strong>and</strong> an <strong>in</strong>valuable syn<strong>the</strong>sis of modern th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> earliest history of <strong>the</strong> French town (Duval 1961; Etienne 1962; Février et al 1980), but <strong>in</strong> terms of archaeological technique <strong>and</strong> historical analysis <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls are still catch<strong>in</strong>g up with advances already made <strong>in</strong>, or stimulated by, Romano-British studies. Above all, perhaps, Gaul has suffered from <strong>the</strong> lack of a Gallic Silchester to provoke thought by show<strong>in</strong>g us how a Comatan civitas capital may have looked <strong>and</strong> operated <strong>in</strong> its entirety. Common op<strong>in</strong>ion now seems to advocate that <strong>in</strong> respect of urbanization <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls experienced a comb<strong>in</strong>ation of cont<strong>in</strong>uity <strong>and</strong> sharp change. In <strong>the</strong> pre-Roman period we can see clear signs of ‘embryonic’ urbanization <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form of permanent centres of quite <strong>in</strong>tense human activity, <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> functions of which were not primarily agricultural or military, but religious, adm<strong>in</strong>istrative, <strong>and</strong> 49 even <strong>in</strong>dustrial (Février et al 1980, 204-6, 217-21, 231; Dr<strong>in</strong>kwater 1983, 11-12). These were <strong>the</strong> social <strong>and</strong> economic foci of <strong>the</strong>ir regions; <strong>the</strong>y brought toge<strong>the</strong>r various cha<strong>in</strong>s of production <strong>and</strong> process<strong>in</strong>g which ran to <strong>the</strong>m from scattered farmsteads <strong>and</strong> from smaller artisanal <strong>and</strong> commercial settlements <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> vic<strong>in</strong>ity; <strong>in</strong> short, <strong>the</strong> hierarchy of aedificium, vicus, <strong>and</strong> oppidum. Individual oppida, through <strong>the</strong>ir dom<strong>in</strong>ance of <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> l<strong>in</strong>es of communication, were <strong>in</strong> close contact with each o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> with <strong>the</strong> wider political <strong>and</strong> economic world beyond Gaul. Such a state of affairs existed, at least among <strong>the</strong> larger <strong>and</strong> more advanced nations of central Gaul, from about <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> 2nd century BC (Nash 1976, 128; Février et al 1980, 86, 204). This was <strong>the</strong> tradition upon which Rome could build. But with <strong>in</strong>tegration <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> Roman <strong>Empire</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>digenous movement towards urbanization was accelerated at such speed, <strong>and</strong> under such different political <strong>and</strong> social circumstances, that <strong>the</strong> evolutionary <strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>e was faulted: <strong>the</strong>re was a shear<strong>in</strong>g, a forc<strong>in</strong>g upwards to such a degree as to result <strong>in</strong> discont<strong>in</strong>uity. This was due to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>teraction of two major forces. The first was <strong>the</strong> imposition of an overall military strategy on <strong>the</strong> Three Gauls, directed ultimately to <strong>the</strong> hold<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> Rhenish frontier. This entailed <strong>the</strong> complete recast<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> road system, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> build<strong>in</strong>g of forts to protect its most vulnerable parts. Such activity was bound to disrupt <strong>the</strong> local, oppida- based, hierarchies. As was later to occur <strong>in</strong> Brita<strong>in</strong>, oppida could now f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong>conveniently distant from new patterns of movement created by <strong>the</strong> military highways; or, even if <strong>the</strong>y were near or on <strong>the</strong>se highways, <strong>the</strong>y could suffer competition from rival centres of activity stimulated or brought <strong>in</strong>to existence by <strong>the</strong>m, <strong>and</strong> better able to exploit <strong>the</strong> new circumstances (Dr<strong>in</strong>kwater 1983, 121-3; cf Frere 1975, 4-6; 1978, 273; Rivet 1975, 111-12). These <strong>in</strong>cluded exist<strong>in</strong>g vici <strong>and</strong> more recent settlements around forts or o<strong>the</strong>r stopp<strong>in</strong>g-places, both official (stations of <strong>the</strong> Public Post) <strong>and</strong> unofficial (<strong>in</strong>ns). The old order was shaken up; <strong>and</strong>, <strong>in</strong>deed, I would argue that with <strong>the</strong> consequent loosen<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> hold of <strong>the</strong> oppida <strong>the</strong> number of potential urban centres was actually <strong>in</strong>creased. The second force ran counter to <strong>the</strong> first <strong>and</strong> arose out of Roman will<strong>in</strong>gness to see, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>deed to <strong>in</strong>sist on, <strong>the</strong> elevation of a very limited number of such places to provide for <strong>the</strong> proper runn<strong>in</strong>g of Gaul. By <strong>the</strong>se I mean nei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> colonies nor <strong>the</strong> prov<strong>in</strong>cial capitals, both of which (somewhat oddly) figure little <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> picture of Gallic urbanization, but ra<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> so-called civitas capitals, <strong>in</strong> which was centralized <strong>the</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istration of each Gallic nation. Thus, out of potentially many centres a few
Dr<strong>in</strong>kwater: Urbanization <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> three Gauls: some observations 1 Alise-Ste-Re<strong>in</strong>e (Alesia) 2 Alléans 3 Amiens (Samarobriva) 4 Argenton (Argentomagus) 5 Arlon (Orolaunum) 6 Autun (Augustodunum) 7 Bibracte 8 Bourges (Avaricum) 9 Châteaumeillant (Mediolanum) 10 Clavier-Vervoz 11 Mâla<strong>in</strong> (Mediolanum) 12 Mirebeau-sur-Bèze 13 Mont Berny 14 Reims (Durocortorum) 15 St Ambroix (Ernodurum) 16 Sens (Aged<strong>in</strong>cum) Fig 38 Roman Gaul. The numbered sites are those mentioned <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> text (Copyright Croom Helm 1985) 50