Roman colonisation and the founding of Nîmes

We often think of the brilliant Caesar as the only conqueror of Gaul, from 58 to 51 BC, yet in reality by the time he arrived, the south-east of Gaul was already very romanised.
By the early 2nd century BC, Roman legions had already crossed the Alps, originally to come to the aid of the Greek colony at Marseilles who had requested their help. After a long period of peace, these Phocaeans had been falling victim to violent attacks from Celto-Ligurian tribes for some time. The Roman legions came to fight these local tribes, then travelled up the Rhone and succeeded in beating the Cimbri and the Teutons. Making the most of their good fortune, the Romans settled in the region. A few decades later they had established a vast provincia that extended from Lyons to the Pyrenees: Narbonese Gaul. In those days the city of Nîmes was called Nemausus, the name of a sacred spring dedicated to the God Nemausus. 

Before the Romans, Nîmes was a small fortified village, an oppidum, built on the slopes of Mont Cavalier, a position which made it easy to defend. Under the reign of Caesar or shortly afterwards, the city adopted Latin law which gave it a privileged position and relative autonomy. Its inhabitants embraced the language, the laws and the customs of Roman citizens.

Subsequently, at the instigation of the Emperor Augustus, the city developed rapidly and adorned itself with monuments, the only survivor of which is the Maison Carrée. Ramparts that stretched for 7 kilometres and surrounded more than 200 hectares of land were built, which was considerable for a Gallo-Roman town. Today all that remains of the fortifications is the Porte d’Auguste and the Tour Magne. Nîmes became one of the most important towns in Narbonese Gaul, and was granted the honour of being called “Colonia Nemausensis Augusta” by the emperor.