viRTUAL VISIT

Four Centuries of History

Model of Antique Vienne

At the peak of its development during the 2nd century AD, the city covered nearly 100 hectares (250 acres) on each bank.

On the left bank, the urban landscape was marked by a large wall of more than 6 kilometers. The heart of the city was constituted by the neighborhood around the Forum, which was the political and religious center of the city. Above, monuments covered the terraces, most notably the theatre. To the south, the plain was home to gigantic warehouses as well as the large circus (hippodrome).

The “business district” developed on the right bank, where large houses stood next to warehouses and boutiques. A stone bridge probably existed during the Roman era : cited repeatedly during the Middle Ages, it disintegrated definitively during the 16th century.

Model of the Saint-Romain-en-Gal District

With a surface area of 4 hectares (10 acres), the archaeological site of Saint-Romain-en-Gal is one of the largest Roman sites in France. The period reconstructed here dates to the end of the 3rd century AD : the very dense urban network links large houses with artisanal and commercial isles. At left, a public space bears a vast esplanade bordered with large colonnades, with a monumental vaulted gallery of the Rhône in the foreground. Toward the south (at left), at the site of the commune of Sainte-Colombe, the city continues its course with a comparable density. District reconstruction at the end of the 2nd century  AD. In brown, buildings discovered during excavations. In white, reconstructed isles.

A Slice of Archaeological Deposits
Saint-Romain-en-Gal Site

On this excavation site, visitors are always attracted by the works in progress, but for security reasons, access to the excavations is not allowed. This was the inspiration for reconstructing a parcel of earth in the museum, thus putting visitor in a real-life excavation situation. The sediments accumulated here are nearly four meters thick and result from the continuous occupation of the site from the end of the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD.

 

> The Signs of Romanization

> Commerce, a Source of Wealth

> The Thousand and One Vocations of the City

> Colorful Houses

> Areas of the House