Orange

A colonia in southern France, established under Augustus' rule (27 BC-14 AD) which became a prosperous city. In the pre-Roman period, the area was occupied by rich, powerful Celtic tribes who appreciated its strategic position on the Rhône River. The semicircular theater, probably built during the reign of Augustus, is the best preserved of its kind. The tiered benches, which rise on the slopes of a slight hill, originally seated 1100. The magnificent wall at the back of the theater is 334 feet (102 m) long and 124 feet (38 m) high. An imposing statue of Augustus, about 12 feet (3.7 m) high, stands in the wall's central niche. Orange also has the Triumphal Arch of Tiberius (c 20 AD) that is one of the largest built by the Romans; standing c 61 feet (19 m) high, its sculptures show the victories of Julius Caesar. A lime kiln near the theater has produced fragments which document various local land surveys and, in particular, describe the terms of confiscation and redistribution that were applied at the time of the original founding of the colonia. In the 5th century, Arausio was pillaged by the Visigoths.

[Roman Arausio]. Augustan colonia in southern France, of strategic importance for the control of communications along the Rhône. In the pre-Roman period the general area was occupied by rich and powerful Celtic tribes, notably the Tricastini, who seem to have been prepared to co-operate as much with the newly arrived Romans, as they had previously with the Greek colonists at Massilia (Marseilles). Of the Roman town (probably enclosing some 70 hectares), two monuments are particularly well-preserved. The Triumphal arch of Tiberius (perhaps from about 20 ad) is located just outside the old line of the Roman fortifications. It has three arches decorated with relief-work which depicts various military and naval triumphs and processions, together with some mythological themes and floral motifs. During the medieval period the Arch was fortified by the Princes of Orange, and came to be known as the Chateau de l’Arc. The Roman theatre is still used for open-air performances in the summer, and can currently accommodate some 7,000 people. Probably constructed in the 1st century ad, the theatre is remarkable for the remains of its stage building, in front of which there still exists the groove for the storing of the curtain. The back wall still stands to a height of some 37 metres, and preserves anchorage points that were probably used for the tensioning of a canvas awning over part of the theatre. A lime kiln near the theatre has produced a notable series of fragments which document various local land surveys and, in particular, describe the terms of confiscation and redistribution that were applied at the time of the original founding of the colonia.