Alba-la-Romaine

Alba-la-Romaine
Alba-la-Romaine
Administration
Country	France
Region	Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ardèche
Arrondissement	Privas
Canton	Viviers
Mayor	Pierre Maurin (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	135–554 m (443–1,818 ft)
Land area1	30.46 km2 (11.76 sq mi)
Population2	1,421  (2008)
- Density	47 /km2 (120 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	07005/ 07400
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Alba-la-Romaine is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.

History

It was founded in Roman times and bore the names Alba Helviorum ("Alba of the Helvii," an ancient Celtic people) and possibly Alba Augusta. It was the capital of the Helviens, a celtic tribe of southern France. It became the episcopal see during the IVth century. From the Middle Ages until 1904, it bore the name Aps, the family name of the local proprietors. Its origin is not latin but celtic or pre-celtic. The curent name of the village has been formalized the 30th of May 1986.Before, the village was called only Alba.

It has been assumed that the city of Alba take at the beginning of the Roman Empire, the succession, as often in Gaul, of an earlier city. The existence of a protohistoric oppidum Chaulène on the plateau, northwest of Alba, is in fact likely. The assumption of a lowland habitat can be simultaneously used, the excavations to the west of the site ("St. Peter") have yielded the remains of stone tools dating from the late third millennium. At the location of two "domus" of south-east of the site ('home field Lauzun "), a habitat of La Tene III (first century BC.) The discovery of imported ceramics, Campanian type A, whose debris was also collected in "Saint-Pierre," and to collar, handles or lips of wine amphorae from Italy and a Allobrogian currency, issued by the third quarter of the century 1er av. AD [1] revealed long time relations with the Roman civilization before the invasion. Other hill forts are known in the territory of Helviens like Jastres North.

When Bituitos, Chief Arverni people located beyond the Cevennes, was defeated in 121 BC. BC by the Roman consul Fabius Maximus, Alba was already the capital of the territory Helviens which corresponds approximately to the current department of the Ardeche. Their neighbors were Ségusiaves the north, west and the Vellaves Gabales, south Volques Arécomiques. Fabius Maximus managed to separate the Helviens the Allobroges and Arverni and draw them into alliance with Rome. They obtained the title of allies and friends of Rome and Julius Caesar observed on his arrival in Gaul they were independent, had their own customs and their administration. In 83 BC. BC Chief helvien Cabur obtained under the name of Caius Valerius Caburius Roman citizenship and his son Caius Valerius Procillus became a friend of Caesar. The pro-Roman politics of Caesar Helviens allowed to install its forces near the Arverni. After winning the Helvie and its capital Alba experiencing a major economic development.

Subsequently Augustus Alba receives the privilege of Roman law and the status of Roman colony and the qualifier of Augusta. First attached to Aquitaine in the time of Strabo, it appears to be integrated into Narbonne. "Starting point of the Roman roads to Valencia, Vienna and Lyon by the bank of the Rhone, the other to Bourg-Saint-Andéol Narbonne and finally to Gergovie - excluding roads -; center of an agricultural region and especially wine, regional trading center, Gaul, and even imperial (...), Alba is from the first century a major city, "says Marcel Le Glay [8], without equaling the splendor of Arles, Orange, Nimes or Vienna . Probably should get in its heyday with a fact reported by Pliny the Elder who had been discovered according to Alba, and adopted in the region, a vine whose bloom was in one day. Until its peak in the second century, it develops on two poles, south on the terraces of Escoutay and theater, in the north district "Banols" located near the path of the valley the Rhone to the Massif Central.

The time of the Christianization of the city, the first episcopal see of the region remains uncertain, ranging from the late first century or that of the second century. After its decline, probably from the late third century, the city lost in the middle of the fourth century for the benefit of Viviers his episcopal function. Deserted the ancient site, a new settlement in the Middle Ages as to the location of the present village.

Against the wall of the Jewish cemetery in the northern district of Bonn / Germany is a relief from the tombstone of the first known inhabitant of Bonn namely, a Roman soldier came in 35 AD Helviorium Alba (Alba today -La-Romaine). The tombstone inscription, translated from Latin means: "Here lies Publius Clodius, son of Plubius, Region Voltinia, born in Alba, the first soldier of the legion, 48, died after 25 years of service."

Shops along the cardus maximus

Population

Historical population of Alba-la-Romaine

Year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	786	871	865	824	990	1135	1421

See also

• Communes of the Ardèche department
• Romanization (cultural)

References

• INSEE

[1] Roger Lauxerois, Alba la Romaine, première capitale du Vivarais, dans « Archéologia » n° 109, Dijon, août 1977, p. 18 et 20