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Antoninus Pius
Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Pius (September 19 86–March 7 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors.
He was the son of Titus Aurelius Fulvus, a Roman consul whose family came from Nemausus (Nîmes). Antoninus Pius was born near Lanuvium. After the death of his father, he was brought up under the care of Arrius Antoninus, his maternal grandfather, a man of integrity and culture, and a friend of Pliny the Younger.
Pliny the Younger on reverse. Antoninus had been entrusted, as proconsul, of the government of this province.]]
Having filled with more than usual success the offices of quaestor and praetor, he obtained the consulship in 120; he was next appointed by the Emperor Hadrian as one of the four proconsuls to administer Italia, then greatly increased his reputation by his conduct as proconsul of Asia. He acquired much favour with the Emperor Hadrian, who adopted him as his son and successor on February 25, 138, after the death of his first adopted son Aelius Verus, on the condition that he himself would adopt Marcus Annius Verus, the son of his wife's brother, and Lucius, son of Aelius Verus, who afterwards became the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Aelius Verus (colleague of Marcus Aurelius).
Antoninus in many ways was the ideal of the landed gentleman praised not only by ancient Romans, but also by later scholars of classical history, such as Edward Gibbon or the author of the article on Antoninus Pius in the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica:
: A few months afterwards, on Hadrian's death, he was enthusiastically welcomed to the throne by the Roman people, who, for once, were not disappointed in their anticipation of a happy reign. For Antoninus came to his new office with simple tastes, kindly disposition, extensive experience, a well-trained intelligence and the sincerest desire for the welfare of his subjects. Instead of plundering to support his prodigality, he emptied his private treasury to assist distressed provinces and cities, and everywhere exercised rigid economy (hence the nickname κυμινοπριστης "cummin-splitter"). Instead of exaggerating into treason whatever was susceptible of unfavorable interpretation, he spurned the very conspiracies that were formed against him into opportunities for demonstrating his clemency. Instead of stirring up persecution against the Christians, he extended to them the strong hand of his protection throughout the empire. Rather than give occasion to that oppression which he regarded as inseparable from an emperor's progress through his dominions, he was content to spend all the years of his reign in Rome, or its neighbourhood.
Of the public transactions of this period we have scant information, but, to judge by what we possess, those twenty-two years were not remarkably eventful in comparison to those before and after his; the surviving evidence is not complete enough to determine whether we should interpret, with older scholars, that he wisely curtailed the activities of the Roman Empire to a careful minimum, or perhaps that he was uninterested in events away from Rome and Italy and his inaction contributed to the pressing troubles that faced not only Marcus Aurelius but also the emperors of the third century.
third century. The emperor and his Augusta were deified after their death by Marcus Aurelius.]]
One of his first acts as Emperor was to persuade the Senate to grant divine honours to Hadrian, which they had at first refused; his efforts to persuade the Senate to grant these honours is one of the reasons given for his title of Pius (dutiful in affection; compare pietas). Two other reasons for this title are that he would support his aged father-in-law with his hand at Senate meetings, and that he had saved those men that Hadrian, during his period of ill-health, had condemned to death. He built temples, theaters, and mausoleums, promoted the arts and sciences, and bestowed honours and salaries upon the teachers of rhetoric and philosophy.
His reign was comparatively peaceful; there were several military disturbances throughout the Empire in his time, in Mauretania, Iudaea, and amongst the Brigantes in Britain, but none of them are considered serious. The unrest in Britain is believed to have led to the construction of the Antonine Wall from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, although it was soon abandoned.
In his domestic relations Antoninus was not so fortunate. His wife, Faustina the Elder, has almost become a byword for her lack of womanly virtue; but she seems to have kept her hold on his affections to the last. On her death in the third year of his reign, he honoured her memory by the foundation of a charity for orphan girls, who bore the name of Alimentariae Faustinianae, following the practice of prior emperors in endowing an alimentaria to promote the welfare of children and an increased population. He had by her two sons and two daughters; but they all died before his elevation to the throne, except Annia Faustina, who became the wife of Marcus Aurelius.
Antoninus died of fever at Lorium in Etruria, about twelve miles from Rome, on March 7 161, giving the keynote to his life in the last word that he uttered when the tribune of the night-watch came to ask the password — "aequanimitas".
The only account of his life handed down to us is that of Julius Capitolinus, one of the Scriptores Historiae Augustae.
Contacts with China
The Hou Hanshu (History of the Later Han Chinese dynasty) recounted the first of several Roman embassies to China sent out by Emperor Antoninus Pius. The mission came from the South, and therefore probably by sea, entering China by the frontier of Jinan or Tonkin, bringing presents of rhinoceros horns, ivory, and tortoise shell which had probably been acquired in Southern Asia.
The emperor was probably actually Marcus Aurelius, who was the reigning emperor. Antoninus Pius died in 161, while the convoy arrived in 166. The confusion arises because Marcus Aurelius took as additional names, those of his predecessor as a mark of respect. He is referred to in Chinese history as "An Tun" (= Antoninus), hence the confusion.
The mission reached the Chinese capital of Luoyang in 166 and was met by Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty. About the same time, and possibly through this embassy, the Chinese acquired a treatise of astronomy from Daqin (Rome).
References
- Bossart-Mueller, Zur Geschichte des Kaisers A. (1868)
- Lacour-Gayet, A. le Pieux et son Temps (1888)
- Bryant, The Reign of Antonine (Cambridge Historical Essays, 1895)
- P. B. Watson, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (London, 1884), chap. ii.
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Category:86 births
Category:161 deaths
Category:Roman emperors
Category:Nerva-Antonine Dynasty
Category:Adoptive parents
ko:안토니누스 피우스
ja:アントニヌス・ピウス
September 19September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). There are 103 days remaining.
Events
- 1356 - In the Battle of Poitiers, the English defeat the French.
- 1692 - Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials.
- 1777 - First Battle of Saratoga/Battle of Freeman's Farm/Battle of Bemis Heights
- 1778 - The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the United States
- 1796 - George Washington makes his farewell address
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Iuka - Union troops under General William Rosecrans defeat a Confederate force commanded by General Sterling Price at Iuka, Mississippi
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Chickamauga
- 1893 - Women's suffrage: In New Zealand, the Electoral Act of 1893 is consented to by the governor giving all women in New Zealand the right to vote, beginning with the 1893 New Zealand general election.
- 1900 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together
- 1934 - Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for the murder of Charles Lindbergh Junior.
- 1944 - Armistice between Finland and Soviet Union signed. (End of the Continuation War)
- 1945 - Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) sentenced to death in London
- 1946 - The Council of Europe is founded following a speech given by Winston Churchill at the University of Zurich.
- 1952 - The US bars Charlie Chaplin from reentering the country after a trip to England
- 1957 - First U.S. underground nuclear bomb test
- 1957 - Dalida is the first artist to be awarded a gold record in France for 300 000 sales of "Bambino".
- 1959 - Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland.
- 1970 - Grateful Dead at Fillmore East.
- 1972 - A parcel bomb sent to Israeli Embassy in London kills one diplomat.
- 1973 - King Carl XVI Gustaf accedes to the throne of Sweden
- 1976 - A Turkish Boeing 727 hits a mountain in southern Turkey killing 155
- 1978 - Newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing burglars at a farm, leading to famous murder trial.
- 1981 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunite for a free concert in New York's Central Park
- 1982 - Scott Fahlman posts the first recorded instance of the emoticon :-) to an online bulletin board
- 1983 - Saint Kitts and Nevis gains its independence.
- 1985 - A strong earthquake hits Mexico City and other parts of Mexico, killing thousands and demolishing about 400 buildings.
- 1985 - Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center.
- 1989 - A terrorist bomb explodes UTA Flight 772 in mid-air above the Tùnùrù Desert, Niger, killing 171.
- 1989 - Hurricane Hugo makes landfall in the U.S. state of South Carolina.
- 1991 - Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by a couple of German tourists.
- 1994 - The pilot episode of the hit medical drama ER airs in the United States, on NBC.
- 1995 - The Washington Post and the New York Times publish the Unabomber's manifesto.
- 1997 - Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria; 53 killed.
Births
- 86 - Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor (d. 161)
- 866 - Leo VI, Byzantine Emperor (d. 912)
- 1377 - Duke Albert IV of Austria (d. 1404)
- 1551 - King Henry III of France (d. 1589)
- 1676 - Eberhard IV Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1733)
- 1714 - Charles Humphreys, American delegate to the Continental Congress (d. 1786)
- 1737 - Charles Carroll of Carrollton, American signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Senator (d. 1832)
- 1749 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, French mathematician (d. 1822)
- 1759 - William Kirby, English entomologist (d. 1850)
- 1778 - Henry Peter Brougham, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1811 - Orson Pratt, American religious leader (d. 1881)
- 1828 - Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1880)
- 1894 - John D. Dingell, U.S. Congressman from Michigan (d. 1955)
- 1901 - Joe Pasternak, Russian-born film producer (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Leon Jaworski, American Watergate scandal special prosecutor (d. 1982)
- 1908 - Mika Waltari, Finnish novelist (d. 1979)
- 1909 - Ferry Porsche, Austrian automobile pioneer (d. 1998)
- 1911 - Sir William Golding, English writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Kurt Sanderling, German conductor
- 1913 - Frances Farmer, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1919 - Mary Midgley, American philosopher
- 1920 - Roger Angell, American sports writer
- 1922 - Damon Knight, American writer (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Emil Zátopek, Czech athlete (d. 2000)
- 1922 - Dana Zátopková, Czech runner
- 1926 - Masatoshi Koshiba, Japanese physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 - Duke Snider, baseball player
- 1928 - William Hickey, American actor (d. 1997)
- 1928 - Adam West, American actor
- 1930 - Antonio Margheriti, Italian filmmaker
- 1931 - Brook Benton, American singer (d. 1988)
- 1933 - David McCallum, Scottish actor
- 1934 - Brian Epstein, English musical group manager (the Beatles) (d. 1967)
- 1935 - Benjamin Hacker, American naval aviator (d. 2003)
- 1936 - Al Oerter, American athlete
- 1937 - Abner Haynes, American football player
- 1940 - Paul Williams, American composer
- 1941 - Mama Cass Elliot, American musician (d. 1974)
- 1942 - Freda Payne, American singer and actress
- 1943 - Joe Morgan, baseball player
- 1945 - Randolph Mantooth, American actor
- 1948 - Jeremy Irons, English actor
- 1949 - Twiggy Lawson, English model
- 1950 - Joan Lunden, American journalist and television host
- 1952 - Nile Rodgers, American musician and composer
- 1958 - Lita Ford, English singer
- 1958 - Kevin Hooks, American actor and director
- 1958 - Azumah Nelson, Ghanian boxer
- 1963 - David Seaman, English footballer
- 1964 - Trisha Yearwood, American singer
- 1965 - Alexandra Vandernoot, Belgian actress
- 1967 - Jim Abbott, American baseball player
- 1967 - Alexander Karelin, Russian wrestler
- 1973 - Nick Colgan, Irish footballer
- 1974 - Jimmy Fallon, American actor and comedian
- 1974 - Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish model
- 1979 - Dannielle Brent, British actress
Deaths
- 690 - Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 602)
- 1339 - Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan (b. 1288)
- 1356 - Killed at the Battle of Poitiers:
- Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1311)
- Walter VI of Brienne, Constable of France (born 1304)
- 1668 - William Waller, English soldier
- 1692 - Giles Cory, American farmer killed in the Salem Witch Trials
- 1693 - Janez Vajkard Valvasor, Slovenian polymath (b. 1641)
- 1710 - Ole Rømer, Danish astronomer (b. 1644)
- 1881 - James Garfield, 20th President of the United States (b. 1831)
- 1927 - Michael Peter Ancher, Danish painter (b. 1849)
- 1935 - Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, Russian rocket scientist (b. 1857)
- 1938 - Pauline Frederick, American actress (b. 1883)
- 1942 - Condé Nast, American publisher (b. 1873)
- 1949 - Will Cuppy, American humorist (b. 1884)
- 1949 - Nikolaos Skalkottas, Greek composer (b. 1901)
- 1967 - Zinaida Serebryakova, Russian painter (b. 1884)
- 1968 - Chester Carlson, American inventor (b. 1906)
- 1968 - Red Foley, American singer (b. 1910)
- 1969 - Rex Ingram, American actor (b. 1895)
- 1972 - Robert Casadesus, French pianist (b. 1899)
- 1973 - Gram Parsons, American musician (b. 1946)
- 1985 - Italo Calvino, Italian writer (b. 1923)
- 1987 - Einar Gerhardsen, Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1897)
- 1990 - Hermes Pan, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1910)
- 1997 - Rich Mullins, American singer (b. 1955)
- 2003 - Slim Dusty, Australian singer (b. 1927)
- 2002 - Robert Guéï, ruler of Côte d'Ivoire (b. 1941)
- 2004 - Skeeter Davis, American singer (b. 1931)
- 2004 - Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman, musician, and activist
Holidays and observances
- In ancient Greece, the sixth day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the procession to Eleusis began at the Kerameikos in Athens.
- RC Saints - Saint Januarius
Also see September 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Church of England - Theodore of Tarsus
- Chile - Day of the Glories of the Army
- Japan - Respect for the Aged Day (beginning in 2003, Respect for the Aged Day is held on the third Monday of September.)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis - Independence Day (from Great Britain, 1983)
- International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Fictional
- Hermione Granger's birthday, from J.K. Rowling's series Harry Potter.
- Heine Westenfluss's birthday, from Gundam SEED DESTINY.
External links
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/19 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20050919.html The New York Times: On This Day]
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September 18 · September 20 · August 19 · October 19 · more historical anniversaries
ko:9월 19일
ms:19 September
ja:9月19日
simple:September 19
th:19 กันยายน
86
Centuries: 1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century
Decades: 0s BC - 0s - 10s - 20s - 30s - 40s - 50s - 60s - 70s - 80s - 90s - 100s
Years: 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91
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Events
- Domitian introduces the Capitoline Games
Births
- September 19 - Antoninus Pius, Roman emperor 138-161
Deaths
-
Category:86
ko:86년
161
Events
- March 7 - Roman emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.
- Publication of Gaius' Institutiones
Births
- August 31 - Commodus, future Roman emperor
- Liu Bei, founder of the Shu Kingdom of China
Deaths
- March 7 - Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor
Category:161
ko:161년
Roman EmperorsThis is a list of Roman Emperors with the dates they controlled the Roman Empire.
Note that in the list below Julius Caesar is not mentioned as an Emperor, as conventionally he is not considered as such. For a more in-depth discussion of whether or not Julius Caesar might have been considered as the first Emperor, see Roman Emperor.
For the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god, see imperial cult.
For a simplified list see: Concise List of Roman Emperors
italics: claimant who cannot be considered to have ruled, or who held power over part of the empire only
bold: nickname by which the individual is commonly known
Severan Dynasty, African, Asian and Syrian Emperors
Tetrarchies, unifications and new splits
| Reign
| Common name
| Personal name & Title<
138
Events
- February 25 - Roman emperor Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius on condition that Antonius would adopt Marcus Annius Aurelius Verus.
- July 10 - Antoninus Pius succeeds Hadrian as Roman emperor
- Zhi becomes emperor of the Han Dynasty in China.
Births
Deaths
- July 10 - Hadrian, Roman emperor, died at Baiae
- Zenobius - Greek sophist who taught rhetoric at Rome
138 is a number commonly associated with the punk band The Misfits. It comes from their song "We Are 138". Many of their fans have merchandise and tattoos that depict the number. Rumors about as to is origin. Some say it was Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig's union local number. Others that it's related to the sci-fi classic THX-1138, a somewhat likely source considering the Misfits' love of B Movies and sci-fi.
Category:138
ko:138년
161
Events
- March 7 - Roman emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.
- Publication of Gaius' Institutiones
Births
- August 31 - Commodus, future Roman emperor
- Liu Bei, founder of the Shu Kingdom of China
Deaths
- March 7 - Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor
Category:161
ko:161년
Five Good Emperors, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius]]
The "Five Good Emperors" (sometimes called the Nervan-Antonian Dynasty) were a series of five emperors of the Roman Empire who ruled from 96 to 180 AD. They were known for their moderate policies, in contrast to their more tyrannical and oppressive successors.
These emperors were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. Among the Roman emperors, the period of the five good emperors was particularly notable for the peaceful method of succession. Each emperor chose his successor by adopting an heir, thus preventing the political turmoil associated with the succession both before and after this period. Indeed, the naming by Marcus Aurelius of his son Commodus as heir proved to be an unfortunate choice, and the end of the Pax Romana.
This opinion of well-being is best expressed by the historian Edward Gibbon:
:If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus. The vast extent of the Roman Empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom. The armies were restrained by the firm but gentle hand of four successive emperors, whose characters and authority commanded respect. The forms of the civil administration were carefully preserved by Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines, who delighted in the image of liberty, and were pleased with considering themselves as the accountable ministers of the laws. Such princes deserved the honour of restoring the republic had the Romans of their days been capable of enjoying a rational freedom. — The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
However, more recent historians, while agreeing with many of the details of this analysis, would not entirely agree with Gibbon's praise of this period. There were more people under the rule of these emperors than the few affluent individuals whose lives are mentioned or recorded in the historical record. A large fraction of the rest were farmers or their dependents, who lived their lives always at the whim of avaricious government officials, or unrestrained bandits, no less during the reign of these "Good Emperors" than before or after. The extent to which these people suffered or were happy continues to be subject of historical debate.
See also
Category:Roman EmpireCategory:Families of RomeCategory:Nerva-Antonine DynastyCategory:Royal families
ko:네르바-안토니누스 왕조
ja:五賢帝
Nîmes
Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département.
History
The city derives its name from Nemausus 'From The Nile'. The contemporary symbol and shield of the city of Nîmes, a crocodile chained to a palm tree with the inscription 'COLNEM' or short version of 'Colonia Nemausus', is a reference to the colony of Roman legions veterans in Caesar's Nile campaigns. At the end of fifteen years of soldiering, the veterans were given plots of land to cultivate on the plain of Nîmes.
Nîme was located on the Via Domitia, a Roman road constructed in 118 BC, connecting Italy to Spain.
The Origins of Nimes
Prehistory
The site on which the built-up area of Nimes has become established in the course of centuries is part of the edge of the alluvial plain of the Vistrenque River which buts up against low hills: to the North-East, the Mr. Duplan; to the South-West, Montaury; to the West, Mt. Cavalier and the knoll of Canteduc.
From 4000 to 2000 BC
The site know as Serre Paradis belongs to the New Stone Age (Neolithic). This deposit reveals the presence of semi-nomadic cultivators in the period 4000 to 3500 BC on the future emplacement of Nimes. The population of the site increased during the thousand-year period of the Bronze Age.
The menhir of Courbessac (or La Poudriere) stands in a field, near the airstrip. This limestone monolith of over 2 metres in height dates to about 2500 BC, and must be considered as the oldest monument of Nimes.
From 1800 to 1 BC
The Bronze Age has left us traces of a village of huts and branches.
From 600 BC to 49 BC
The Warrior of Grezan is considered to be the most ancient indigenous sculpture in southern Gaule. The hill named Mt. Cavalier was the site of the early oppidum: city which gave birth to the city. In the 3rd to 2nd century BC a surrounding wall was built, closed at the summit by a dry-stone tower, which was later incorporated into the masonry of The Tor Magne. The Wars of Gaule and the fall of Marseilles (49 BC) allowed Niems to regain its autonomy under Rome.
The Gallo-Roman Period
It was about 50 BC that Nimes became a Roman colony, as witness the earliest coins which bear the abbreviation NEM. COL, "Colony of Nemausus". Some years later a sanctuary and other constructions connected with the fountain were raised on the site. Nimes was already under Roman influence, though it was Augustus who made the city the capital of Narbonne province, and gave it all its glory.
Augustus gave the town a ring of ramparts six kilometres long, reinforced by fourteen towers, with gates of which two remain today, the Porte Auguste and the Porte de France. The city had a estimated population of 60,000. He had the Forum built and perhaps also the aqueduct. Nothing remains of certain monuments, the existence of which is known from inscriptions or architectural fragments found in the course of excavations. It is know that the town had civil basilica, a curia, a gymnasium and perhaps a circus. The amphitheatre dates from the end of the 2nd century AD. The family of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius was originated in Nemausus.
This prosperity was to stay with the town until the end of the 3rd century. Already there was risk of invasion, and the decadence of Rome allowed the barbarian hordes to be even more audacious. Visigoths, Burgunds, and Ostrogoths came one after the other to pillage the riches of the Empire.
From the 4th to 5th century
After the Gallo-Roman period, in the days of invasion and decadence, the Christian Church, already established in Gaule since the 1st century AD, appeared be the last refuge open to civilisation. Remarkably organised and directed by men of great worth, it took bit by bit a preponderant place in the march of time.
After the barbarian invasions the population had to face incursions by Moors from Spain (AD 710). This occupation, strange to say, was beneficial for the Nimes region. It came to an end in 754 under Pepin the Short. The town, ruined by so many troubles and invasions was now only a shadow of the opulent Gallo-Roman city. The local powers installed themselves in the amphitheatre.
Carolingian rule brought relative peace with it, but feudal times in the 12th century brought local troubles which lasted until the days of St.Louis. During this period Nimes 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 place 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, Nimes saw a certain progress both in commerce and industry as well as in stockbreeding and associated activities.
After the last effort by Raymond VII of Toulouse, St. Louis managed to base Royal power in the region which became Languedoc. Nimes thus entered finally into the hands of the King of France.
The Time of Invasions
During the 14th and 15th centuries the Rhone Valley underwent an uninterrupted series of invasions which ruined the economy and brought about famine. Customs were forgotten, there were religious troubles and epidemics, all of which affected the city. Nimes, which was one of the Protestant strongholds, felt the full force of repression and fratricidal confrontments which continued until the middle of the 17th century, adding to the misery of periodic outbreaks of plague.
From the 17th Century to the Revolution
In the middle of the 17th century Nimes experienced a period of prosperity. Population growth caused the town to expand, and slum housing to be replaced. Also to this period dates the reconstruction of Notre-Dame-Saint-Castor, the Bishop's palace and numerous mansions (Hotels). This 'renaissance' strengthened the manufacturing and industrial vocation of the city, the population rising from 21000 to 50000 inhabitants.
Also in this period the Fountain gardens were laid out, the areas surrounding the Maison Carrée and the Amphitheatre were cleared, whilst the entire population benefited from the atmosphere of prosperity.
From the Revolution to the Present Day
Following the European economic crisis which hit Nimes with full force, the Revolutionary period awoke slumbering demons of political and religious antagonism. The White Terror added to natural calamities and economic recession, produced murder, pillage and arson until 1815. Order was however restored in the course of the 19th century, and Nimes became the metropolis of Bas-Languedoc, diversifying its industry towards new kinds of activity. At the same time the surrounding countryside adapted to market needs and shared in the general increase of wealth.
Nimes is already prepared to face the oncoming century and, having withstood the burden of two world wars, on the eve of the third millennium, is perhaps on the threshold of a new Golden Age.
Sights
19th century
19th century
19th century
19th century
Nîmes may have been one of the richest and finest Roman cities of Gaule. Several important remains of the Roman Empire can still be seen in and around Nîmes:
- The elliptical Roman amphitheatre, of the 1st or 2nd century AD, is the best-preserved Roman arena in France. It was filled with medieval housing, when its walls served as ramparts, but they were cleared under Napoleon. It is still used today as a bull fighting and concert arena.
- The Maison Carrée (Square House), a small Roman temple dedicated to sons of Agrippa was built c. 19 BC. It is one of the best-preserved Roman temples anywhere.
- The 18th-century Jardins de la Fontaine (Gardens of the Fountain)
- The nearby Pont du Gard, also built by Agrippa, is a well-preserved aqueduct that used to carry water across the small Gardon river valley.
- The nearby Mont Cavalier is crowned by the Tour Magne ("Great Tower"), a ruined Roman tower.
Later monuments include:
- The cathedral (Saint Castor), occupying, it is believed, the site of the temple of Augustus, is partly Romanesque and partly Gothic in style.
There is modern architecture at Nîmes too: Norman Foster conceived the Carré d'art (1986), a museum of modern art and mediatheque; Jean Nouvel the Nemausus, a post-modern residential ensemble, and Kisho Kurokawa a building in the form of a hemicycle to reflect the Amphitheatre.
Tree-shaded boulevards trace the foundatio | | | |
