France map Lambert-93 topographic-ancient Roman roads

''Via Agrippa'', is any stretch of the network of

Roman roads Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

that was built by

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law, and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. He was responsible for the construction of some of the most notable build ...

, to whom

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

entrusted the reorganization of the Gauls. In all, the Romans built of roads in Gaul.

Agrippa's project

Agrippa's network radiated from a hub at the new strategic site of

Lugdunum Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settle ...

(

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...

indicated the directions, which were identified by Pierre Gros: *a route towards the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, from Lugdunum/Lyon towards Saintes * a route towards the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

, via

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded b ...

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most popul ...

and

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

* a route towards the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

, via

Langres Langres () is a commune in northeastern France. It is a subprefecture of the department of Haute-Marne, in the region of Grand Est. History As the capital of the Romanized Gallic tribe known as the Lingones, it was called Andematunnum, th ...

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

* and a route towards the south, to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. Though the detailed routes taken by the various stretches of the ''Via Agrippa'' are well settled on the ground, the dates of construction are still debated: in 39-38 BCE, according to the authors of the ''Guide romain antique''; 22-21 BCE, according to Pierre Gros; or between 16 and 13 BCE, according to Paul Petit.

The southern route

An ancient salt road passed to the mouths of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, keeping to the lower slopes of the hills to avoid the river's sometimes swampy

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

. Under the impetus of Augustus, Agrippa paved a route that lay closer to the river, passing through the important Roman cities of

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province ...

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...

, Orange,

Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; la, Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in north Provence, Southeastern France. It is the second-largest city in the department after Valence. In 2018 ...

, Valence, Vienne, interspersed with relay stations (''mutationes'') where a change of horses was maintained for official couriers. This route was augmented by the '' Via Antonina'' along the right bank of the Rhône.

Traces of the ''via Agrippa''

Near Valence, the modern ''Route nationale'' 7 follows the track of the ''via Agrippa''. To the north of the

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Beaumont-Monteux Beaumont-Monteux (; oc, Bèlmont e Montèls) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a list of the 363 communes of the Drôme department of F ...

; there a ''Route communale'' and a pathway trace the straight Roman track which serves as boundary between the communes of Beaumont-Monteux and Pont-de-l'Isère. Nearby, the toponym ''Vie Magne'' records the passage of the ''via magna'', the "great road".

Roman milestones

Inscribed standing

milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

s placed along the route indicated the miles from the starting point (''capita viae'') with Vienne, Valence or Avignon, as well as the magistrate or emperor who had them erected or maintained. In addition to twenty-two surviving

s recovered along the route is one of the 3rd or 4th century reused in the

ambulatory The ambulatory ( la, ambulatorium, ‘walking place’) is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th ...

of the choir of the Cathedral of Valence, where its inscription may still be read:

''IMP(ERATOR) CAESAR L(UCIUS) DOMIT US' ''AURELIANU P(IUS) (ELIX)INV T S' '' U(USTUS) P(ONTIFEX) MA(XIMUS) GER ANIC(US) MAX(IMUS)' '' OHIC(US) MA (IMUS) CARPIC(US) MAX(IMUS)?'' '' ARHIC(US) MA (IMUS) TRIB(UNICIA) POT(ESTATE) VI CO(N)S(UL)?'' '' IIP(ATER) P(ATRIAE) PROCO(N) (UL) PACATOR ET RES' '' ITUTR ORB(IS) EFECIT ET' '' STITUIT ��' ''MILIA ASSUUM' ''I II ?''

;Translation :"The Emperor Caesar Lucius Domitian Aurelianus, pious, fortunate, invincible, august, ''

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rev ...

'', greatest conqueror of the Germans, Goths, Carpi, Parthians, reinvested with the power of a

Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...

for the thtime, consul times, '' father of his country'', proconsul, restorer of universal peace, restored it: 3 r 4miles"From Valence understood.

Notes

External links

Omnes Viae: Via Agrippa on the Peutinger Map
{{List of Roman roads Agrippa, Via 1st-century BC establishments in Roman Gaul 1st-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa