Glanum - from iron age refuge to Roman city

Until the beginning of the 20th cetury only two well-preserved monuments, a mausoleum and an archway, indicated Glanum's location and past wonders.

Glanum was a Gallo-Greek and then Gallo-Roman city which was uncovered last century by archeologists. It is one of the most spectacular classical sites in France (specifically in Provence).

Established during the Iron Age (6th-2nd BC), the Glanics were a tribe inhabiting the Mediterranean coast to the Luberon and from the Rhône eastwards to maybe as far as Antibes. Celtic, Greek and Roman languages appear on epitaphs, stèlae and honorary inscriptions.


Glanum's proximity to Marseilles (founded by the Phoenicians in 600BC) meant there was a lot of trade influence and thus cultural influences. But increasing tensions with the Phoenicians meant Glanum's Greeks asked Rome for help. Maybe that was not a good move as subsequent Roman consuls, including the one who established Aix-en-Provence (my favourite city in France), destroyed many of Glanum's monuments. Local dignitaries went on a re-building programme but things took a long time to recover and relatively modest homes replaced the beautiful public buildings at the heart of Glanum.

In 49BC Gaius Julius Caesar seized Marseilles and founded Arles. The area suffered mayhem as Roman generals such as Octavian and Marc Antony fought between themselves, land being repeatedly confiscated and given to war veterans. With the victory of Octavian over Marc Antony, Glanum became a Latin colony and began a more peaceful, less dazzling life. The healing Springs, for which Glanum has originally been famous, proved less and less commercially interesting. The city was abandoned in AD 260 following the Alemannic invasion.

In the 4th and 5th centuries AD Glanum became a vast stone quarry and most of its monuments were dismantled, for what we see today isn't simply the ravages of time. It's humanity performing recycling.

From the 16th century Les Antiques (the mausoleum and archway) were well-known to scholars and travellers through this part of France. Inscriptions and coins could still be discovered. Henri Rolland excavated the site from 1942-1969.

The mausoleum was built by three brothers for their parents and elder brother. Past tomb robbers have stolen the urns containing the ashes. The arch is less well preserved and sits on the boundary between the uncouth countryside and the civilised, urban world  - a centre of order subject to Rome and the Emperor.

As you explore the site you can see (with the help of a diagram supplied) the Public Baths, two examples of Hellistic houses and marketplace, the Forum and its well, a Tuscan temple, the remains of a Corinthian temple, a fountain, remains of many residences from differing epoques, ramparts, an assembly hall and the remains of the building housing the famous underground spring which was the source of Glanum's original popularity.

I squatted down next to fallen columns and stèlae in the searing heat and tried to appreciate all the history they contained and the tides of fortune that have washed over them. It was a truly splendid place 2000 years ago. Oh, for a time machine.

Glanum is not generally well known but there is an entry fee and a shop. To find it you can access it from Avignon, Saint-Remy-de-Provence which are north of the site or call in on your way from Arles to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence. Also to visit in the area are Baux-de-Provence