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BESANCON (Town) DOUBS
Vesontio or Visontio later Bisontii (Besancon) Doubs, France.
At the time of the Roman conquest, Vesontio was the maximum oppidum Sequanorum.
Caesar (BGall. 38.4-6) and especially Julian (Epist. 26. Bidez, 38 cd.) emphasized
the strength of its position, in a bend of the Doubs and at the foot of a hill
which forms a natural citadel on its landward side. After the conquest, only one
historical event is known to have taken place there: the fight beneath its walls
between the forces of Vindex, who had revolted against Nero, and the loyal forces
of Verginius Rufus. The battle ended with the defeat and suicide of Vindex (Cass.
Dio 63.24). Otherwise, the city must have shared the history of the Sequani (participation
in the revolt of Sacrovir under Tiberius, loyalty during the revolt of Civilis,
unrest under Marcus Aurelius). The period from the Flavians to the Antonines was
its heyday, and after the Tetrarchy it was still the capital of the Provincia
Maxima Sequanorum, but by 360 (cf. Julian) it was in decline.
Our knowledge of the topography of the Roman city comes from chance
discoveries. The road from Italy crossed the citadel, on which during the Middle
Ages four unidentified columns were still visible. It entered the lower city through
the “Black Gate,” a commemorative arch built perhaps under Marcus Aurelius and
still standing, which is notable for its double rows of columns and for the variety
and profusion of its sculptured decoration. From that point on the road formed
the principal cardo of the city. On its right, it passed the distribution basin
for the water brought from the springs at Arcier by an aqueduct 10 km long, then
a square surrounded by porticos with alternating round and rectangular exedrae,
which probably also included an underground gallery. In the center of the square
was a large temple, which some have called a capitolium. The road finally reached
the river, which it crossed on a bridge which, repaired and enlarged, survived
until WW II.
Only one public edifice at a distance from the cardo is known with
certainty: on the W, at a spot near the river called Chamars (Campus Martius?)
a semicircular double wall (exterior diam. 91.4 m), which was built on a cremation
cemetery of the Julio-Claudian period. It was most probably a sacred enclosure
surrounding a temple (of Mars?). It is not clear where the sanctuary of Mercury
Cissonius, mentioned in an inscription, was located. Various cults (Apollo and
Mercury combined, the Mother Goddesses, and the God with the Mallet) are attested
by dedications or by sculptures. The remains found under the Place du Marche are
probably those of large baths, and other ruins are those of private dwellings,
often ornamented with mosaics and marble facing.
On the other side of the bridge the road split into three branches,
to Lyon, Langres, and the Rhine. On the left of the road to Lyon was an amphitheater,
built partly on level ground and partly into a hillside. Two segments of foundations
remain. Later cemeteries (after the Julio-Claudian period) lay along these roads.
L. Lerat, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Feb 2006 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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