Orange

Michel Merciari

За особеностите на екземпляра

Състояние:: Много добро
Забележка:: Леко захабен външен вид.
Език:: Английски
Наличност:: 1 бр.

За изданието

Издателство:: Éditions PEC
Град на издаване:: Septémes les Vallons, France
Година:: 2000 г.
Език:: Английски
Страници:: 16
Корици:: Меки
Категория:: Спорт, туризъм и пътеводители
Тегло (гр.):: 77
Ширина (мм):: 170
Височина (мм):: 240
Дебелина (мм):: 3
ISBN:: 9782842930752

UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE OF AUGUSTUS Rising some twenty metres above the ground, the imposing Augustus towers over the stage. The stone Emperor has every reason to be proud, considering that he was placed there by his subjects nearly twenty centuries ago, in the centre of the colossal wall facing St Eutrope hill in the flank of which is set the tiered stone seating. This is the classical theatre of Orange which, according to some experts, is the best preserved in the Roman world. It seems to incarnate the very soul of the city, even more symbolically than the triumphal arch, for this classical theatre embodies the true vocation of Orange: a City of Art, a City of History. There is little doubt that history here began in the dark ages since St Eutrope Hill, which overlooks the city, harbours traces of prehistoric occupation. During this period, the city heights were encircled by a marshy plain closed off to the west by the Rhone River. During its subsequent occupation by the Celts, the site became one of the strongholds of the Cavare peoples composed of several tribes. The god Arausio, a deity representing a spring flowing in the area, later gave his name to the site. Livy, Strabo and Pliny the Elder all make mention of Arausio in their writings. At the turn of the second century BC, the inhabitants of Massalia, the future Marseilles, appealed to Rome for assistance in safeguarding their predominance over the inland areas where Celto-Ligurian confederations were gaining more and more power. For the Romans, the occasion was too good to be passed up: the Legions invaded Provence, crushing citadels such as Entremont, near which they founded what would later become Aix-en-Provence. Afterwards, they progressively advanced northwards as far as Arausio. Here, however, they clashed with other invaders hailing from the foggy mists of the North (Denmark, to be precise): the Cimbri and Teutones who inflicted dismal defeat on the Latins in 105 BC in which the Romans suffered 100,000 losses. An illustrious Roman general, Marius (who would seize power in Rome in 87 BC then be vanquished by Scylla in 82), avenged his people in 102 by crushing the Barbarians near Aix-en-Provence on the slopes of Mount Sainte-Victoire whose "victorious" name is claimed by some to commemorate this event. Some centuries later, Rome, the Master of Gaul, transformed Arausio into one of the finest residential cities offered to its veteran warriors, and more especially to the II Legion. The city then enjoyed a period of harmonious de-velopment. A capitol was erected on the hillside and the urban areas designed on the typical Roman-style square-partitioned pattern with a wide North-South avenue (cardo) which appears to correspond to today's Rue Victor Hugo, and another East-West avenue (decumanus) which approximately coincides with Rue du Pont Neuf. Further construction included hot water spas, a gymnasium, a theatre, temples and a commemorative arch. At this time the city comprised a population estimated to be twice the size of today's. Such prosperity persisted until the demise of the "Pax Ro-mana". The arrival of Christianity led to the creation of a Bishopric at Orange at the end of the 4C. A century and a half later, a cathedral was built in place of the antique temple consecrated to Diana. St Eutrope, a Bishop buried in Orange in 5C, lent his name to the hills overlooking the theatre. However, an era of invasions plunged Orange into one of the darkest phases in its history.