Lugdunum / Lyon

Lugdunum, modern Lyon, was the capital of Gaul and one of the central cities of the western empire. Its archaeological importance lies in its administrative role, the theatres on Fourviere, sanctuaries, inscriptions, crafts, trade and urban layers at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone.

Archaeological complex

The city was founded in 43 BC and quickly became a centre of provincial power, imperial cult and communication. The theatre and odeon, aqueducts, urban quarters, workshops, cemeteries and Sanctuary of the Three Gauls show Lugdunum as a place where politics, cult and trade met in one topography.

Lugdunum is read through the topography of Fourviere hill, the theatre complex, roads, aqueducts, shrines and epigraphic finds. Visual material is important for understanding how Roman power used relief, viewpoints and communications in the capital of Gaul.

Finds and material setting

Lugdunum provides rich epigraphy, pottery, lamps, metalwork, architectural fittings and craft-production material. For reconstructing a western Roman city, the important issue is not only monuments but the link between administrative status, roads, river routes and the market in objects.

Visual and archaeological evidence is useful here as a check on the prose: it connects visible walls, layout, finds and museum objects with the historical setting. Main evidence groups:

• theatre and odeon, shrines, aqueducts and road lines;
• inscriptions, the altar of the Three Gauls, coins and urban pottery;
• hill topography and connection with the river system;
• cemetery and workshop material.

Interpretation and limits

The evidence for Lugdunum is dispersed across the modern city and museums; it is not a single park with a fully legible street grid. The article should therefore be built around urban functions and published assemblages rather than around the illusion of a completely preserved ancient space.

Related topics

• Roman Archaeological Sources
• Roman Empire
• Roman aqueduct
• Theatre
• Oil lamp

Literature

• Amable Audin. Lyon, miroir de Rome dans les Gaules. Paris, 1965.
• Lugdunum - Museum and Roman theatres: collections and site material.
• Corpus of Latin inscriptions from Lugdunum.