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Nîmes
The city derives its name from that of a spring in the Roman village. The contemporary coat of arms of the city of Nîmes includes a crocodile chained to a palm tree with the inscription COL NEM, for Colonia Nemausus, meaning the "colony" or "settlement" of Nemausus, the local Celtic god of the Volcae Arecomici. Veterans of the Roman legions who had served Julius Caesar in his Nile campaigns, at the end of fifteen years of soldiering, were given plots of land to cultivate on the plain of Nîmes.[9]
The city was located on the Via Domitia, a Roman road constructed in 118 BC which connected Italy with Spain.
Its name appears in inscriptions in Gaulish as dede matrebo Namausikabo = "he has given to the mothers of Nîmes" and "toutios Namausatis" = "citizen of Nîmes".[10]
The site on which the built-up area of Nîmes has become established in the course of centuries is part of the edge of the alluvial plain of the Vistrenque River which butts up against low hills: to the northeast, Mont Duplan; to the southwest, Montaury; to the west, Mt. Cavalier and the knoll of Canteduc.
The Neolithic site of Serre Paradis reveals the presence of semi-nomadic cultivators in the period 4000 to 3500 BC on the future site of Nîmes. The population of the site increased during the thousand-year period of the Bronze Age.The menhir of Courbessac (or La Poudrière) stands in a field, near the airstrip. This limestone monolith of over two metres in height dates to about 2500 BC, and must be considered the oldest monument of Nîmes.
Zaman Gangsa meninggalkan kesan-kesan perkampungan yang diperbuat daripada pondok-pondok dan dahan pokok.
The Warrior of Grezan is considered to be the most ancient indigenous sculpture in southern Gaul.[petikan diperlukan] The hill named Mt. Cavalier was the site of the early oppidum, which gave birth to the city. During the third and 2nd centuries BC a surrounding wall was built, closed at the summit by a dry-stone tower, which was later incorporated into the masonry of the Tour Magne. The Wars of Gaul and the fall of Marseille (49 BC) allowed Nîmes to regain its autonomy under Rome.
Nîmes became a Roman colony sometime before 28 BC, as witnessed by the earliest coins, which bear the abbreviation NEM. COL, "Colony of Nemausus".[11] Some years later a sanctuary and other constructions connected with the fountain were raised on the site. Nîmes was already under Roman influence, though it was Augustus who made the city the capital of Narbonne province, and gave it all its glory. It was also known as the birthplace of the family of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.
The city had an estimated population of 60,000 in the time of Augustus.[petikan diperlukan] Augustus gave the town a ring of ramparts six kilometres (3.7 batu) long, reinforced by fourteen towers; two gates remain today: the Porta Augusta and the Porte de France. An aqueduct was built to bring water from the hills to the north. Where this crossed the River Gard between Uzes and Remoulins, the spectacular Pont du Gard was built. This is 20 kilometer (12 batu) north east of the city. Also, the Maison Carrée is one of the best preserved temples to be found anywhere in the territory of the former Roman Empire; it later inspired the design of the Virginia State Capitol at Richmond. Nothing remains of some other monuments, the existence of which is known from inscriptions or architectural fragments found in the course of excavations. It is known that the town had a civil basilica, a curia, a gymnasium and perhaps a circus. The amphitheatre dates from the end of the 2nd century AD and was one of the largest amphitheatres in the Empire.
| Dimensions of the largest amphitheatres of the Roman Empire | |
|---|---|
| Colosseum (Rome, Italy) | 188 × 156 m |
| Capua (Italy) | 167 × 137 m |
| Italica (Spain): | 157 × 134 m |
| Tours | 156 × 134 m |
| Carthage (Tunisia) | 156 × 128 m |
| Autun | 154 × 130 m |
| Nîmes | 133 × 101 m |
Emperor Constantine endowed the city with baths. It became the seat of the Diocesan Vicar, the chief administrative officer of southern Gaul.
The town was prosperous until the end of the 3rd century – during the 4th and 5th centuries, the nearby town of Arles enjoyed more prosperity. In the early 5th century the Praetorian Prefecture was moved from Trier in northeast Gaul to Arles. The Visigoths finally captured the city from the Romans in 473 AD.
After the Roman period, in the days of invasion and decadence, the Christian Church, already established in Gaul since the 1st century AD, appeared be the last refuge of classical civilization – it was remarkably organized and directed by a series of Gallo-Roman aristocrats. However, when the Visigoths were accepted in the Roman Empire, Nîmes was included in their territory (472), even after the Frankish victory at the Battle of Vouillé (507). The urban landscape went through transformation with the Goths, but much of the heritage of the Roman era remained largely intact.
By 725, the Muslim Umayyads had conquered the whole Visigothic territory of Septimania including Nîmes. In 736-737, Charles Martel and his brother led an expedition to Septimania and Provence, and largely destroyed the city (in the hands of Umayyads allied with the local Gallo-Roman and Gothic nobility), including the amphitheatre, thereafter heading back north. The Muslim government came to an end in 752, when Pepin the Short captured the city. In 754, an uprising took place against the Carolingian king, but was put down and count Radulf, a Frank, appointed as master of the city. After the war events, Nîmes was now only a shadow of the opulent Roman city it once had been. The local authorities installed themselves in remains of the amphitheatre.
Carolingian rule brought relative peace, but feudal times in the 12th century brought local troubles, which lasted until the days of St. Louis. During that period Nîmes was jointly administered by a lay power resident in the old amphitheatre, where lived the Viguier and the Knights of the Arena, and the religious power based in the Bishop's palace complex, around the cathedral, its chapter and the Bishop's house; meanwhile the city was represented by four Consuls, who sat in the Maison Carrée.
Despite incessant feudal squabbling, Nîmes saw some progress both in commerce and industry as well as in stock-breeding and associated activities.
After the last effort by Raymond VII of Toulouse, St. Louis managed to establish royal power in the region which became Languedoc. Nîmes thus entered finally into the hands of the King of France.
Ruins at Nîmes, painting by Hubert Robert.Semasa kurun ke-14 dan 15, Lembah Rhone mengalami siri-siri serbuan berterusan yang menghancurkan ekonomi dan menyebabkan kebuluran. Adat resam dilupakan, kekacauan agama menyebabkan (lihat Perang Agama Perancis) dan epidemik, kesemuanya mejejaskan bandar ini. Nîmes, yang mana merupakan salah sebuah kubu kuat Protestant, menghadapi tekanan berskala penuh dan konfrontasi perang saudara (termasuk pembunuha beramai-ramai Michelade) yang mana berlanjutan sehingga pertengahan kurun ke-17, tambah sengsara berlakunya kejadian wabak.
Pada pertengahan kurun ke-17, Nîmes menikmati satu zaman kemakmuran. Pertambahan penduduk menyebabkan kota dibesarkan, dan perumahan setinggan digantikan. Notre-Dame-Saint-Castor, istana Bishop dan pelbagai rumah agam (Hotel) telah dibina semula. Pembaharuan ini menguatkan industri pembuatan dan pekerjaan industri di kota ini, jumlah penduduk meningkat daripada 21,000 kepada 50,000 orang.Pada zaman ini juga dibina taman-taman pancur, Quais de la Fontaine telah dibina di kawasan sekeliling Maison Carrée dan Amphitheatre telah dibersihkan daripada pencerobohan, sementara keseluruhan penduduk mendapat manfaat daripada kemakmuran yang dinikmati.
Berikutan dengan krisis ekonomi yang melanda teruk Nîmes, zaman Revolusi menghasilkan penyangak politik dan agama. Keganasan Putih ditambah dengan malapetaka semulajadi and kemelesetan ekonomi, menyebabkan pembunuhan, penjarahan dan pembakaran dengan senjaga berlarutan sehingga tahun 1815. Undang-undang kemudian berjaya dikuatkuasakan dan Nîmes menjadi sebuah kota metropolis bagi Bas-Languedoc, mempelbagaikan industrinya. Pada masa yang sama, kawasan sekitarnya mengadaptasi keperluan pasaran dan berkongsi peningkatan kekayaan.
Semasa Perang Dunia II, pejuang penentang Maquis, Jean Robert dan Vinicio Faïta dihukum bunuh di Nîmes pada 22 April 1943. Perkarangan Nîmes pula dibom oleh pesawat pengebom Amerika pada tahun 1944.
2º Régiment Etranger d'Infanterie (2ºREI), rejimen infantri bermotor utama dalam Legion Asing Perancis ditempatkan di Nîmes sejak tahun 1984. [petikan diperlukan]
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