Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition

Ground Floor – Introduction
the so-called Alpine Provinces, and Geneva was part of Gallia Narbonensis. The
midlands between the Jura Mountains and the Alps (the territory of the Helvetii) as
well as the region around Basle (the territory of the Rauraci) were initially attached
to Belgica and then to Germania Superior.
An important network of roads criss-crossed what is now Switzerland: a major
route led from south to north via the St. Bernard pass and the passes in the Grisons
while another arterial road connected western and eastern parts. In addition,
there were navigable waterways from the Lakes of Neuchâtel and Morat via the
Rhine towards the North Sea and from the Lake of Geneva via the Rhone to the
Mediterranean. These different transport axes were used for moving troops,
transporting civilians as well as for short and long distance trade exchanges.
During the 1st century AD, a legion, i.e. 6’000 soldiers and auxiliary troops, was
stationed at Vindonissa (Windisch, Canton Argovia).
Urban settlements were a new development. Examples of such urban
settlements were Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris), Augst (Augusta Raurica) (1),
Martigny (Octodurus / Forum Claudii Vallensium) and Avenches (Aventicum). Smaller
towns were dependent on these cities and a variety of farms and rural settlements,
in turn, depended on these smaller towns.
Masonry was another innovation introduced by the Romans. While initially, this
technique was reserved for public buildings, it gradually became more popular for
private buildings both in urban and rural settings.
The regional economy was mainly based on agriculture, but various specialised
skills and crafts developed simultaneously, sometimes even reaching an industrial
scale. The incorporation into a vast trading network resulted in many products that
had been unknown until then being imported such as foodstuffs like olive oil, fish
sauces, dates and oysters.
Chronology of Events
753 BC Founding of the City of Rome (2)
509 BC Founding of the Roman Republic
3 rd – 1 st centuries BC Expansion of the Roman Empire (Italian Peninsula,
Iberian Peninsula, Greece, parts of Asia Minor and North
Africa).
58 BC Unsuccessful exodus of the Helvetii and battle against
Julius Caesar at Bibracte
58 – 51 BC Roman conquest of Gaul
27 BC Beginning of the Imperial period
27 BC – AD 14 Reign of Augustus (3)
25 BC Opening of the Great St. Bernard route
16 / 15 BC Subjugation of the Alpine regions
1
Augusta Raurica (Augst)
M. Schaub, Römermuseum Augst
2
3
Chronology of Events
5
Ground Floor
Introduction