Listed 1 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "NAMUR Town NAMUR" .
NAMUR (Town) NAMUR
Namurcum (Namur) Belgium.
A Gallo-Roman vicus of the civitas Tungrorum. Diverticula linked this center to
the Bavai-Tongres road to the N and to the Bavai-Trier road to the S. At the end
of the Iron Age a rather poor village existed at the foot of the modern citadel
at the junction of the Sambre and the Meuse. Its humble remains have only recently
been discovered. The village was located on the territory of the Atuatuci. It
has been suggested that the oppidum Atuatucorum, besieged and taken by Caesar
in 57 B.C., was located on the plateau of Le Champeau, with an area of 70 ha,
at the spot where Vauban ordered the construction of the citadel in 1692. However,
no Iron Age remains have been found on the plateau. The “Vieux Murs,” destroyed
by Vauban during the building of the citadel, probably were not Gallic but should
rather be dated to the time of the Late Empire. It seems more likely that the
oppidum of the Atuatuci should be identified with the hill of Hastedon, 5 km from
Namur, where there are still remains of an enclosure built according to the murus
gallicus technique. In any case, the vicus of Namurcum already was of some importance
in the time of Augustus, as proved by sherds of Arretine terra sigillata (very
rare in Belgium) found with other remains of the time of Augustus in 1967 during
the construction of a house. This importance is understandable because Namur was
the economic center of the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse, a very fertile region where
rich villas abounded (for example, Anthee, Gerpinnes, Maillen, Mettet, Rognee,
etc.) and where there was a large ironworking industry. Since the vicus is located
under the modern town, systematic excavations are impossible. However, stray finds
and minor excavations occasioned by public works show that while the built-up
area of the Early Empire had its center between the Sambre and the Meuse it also
extended to Salzinnes and La Plante on both sides of the Champeau plateau. There
was probably even a bridgehead on the right bank of the Meuse at Jambes. Necropoleis
with incineration tombs of the first three centuries A.D. have been found on the
outskirts of the built-up area, notably at La-Motte-du-Comte, Saint-Servais, Salzinnes,
La Plante, and Jambes. Thus, it seems that the built-up area of Roman times was
as extensive as the mediaeval town. The street network of the vicus is barely
known, but since the old quarter of Namur has a checkerboard plan rather unusual
for a mediaeval town, one may suspect that this regular network goes back to Roman
times. Besides, that no large Roman road passed through Namur suggests that water
routes played a key role in the economy of the center and that there was a river
port. The enormous quantities of Roman coins found in the Sambre near its junction
with the Meuse probably is related to the existence of this river port. As far
as remains of the vicus itself are concerned, apart from stray finds, the foundations
of one large dwelling should be noted. It was brought to light in 1931 during
public works in the Rue du Bailli. Two large rooms were cleared: the first was
pierced on the inside by 5 semicylindrical and vaulted niches 1 m high; the second
was above a hypocaust. In the fill there were bases of columns in white stone
and small Tuscan columns 50 cm high. Supposedly these would have been on top of
the niches just mentioned.
The vicus was sacked during the Frankish invasions of the second half
of the 3d c. Traces of fire are found everywhere in the subsoil. Many hoards of
coins found in Namur and neighboring villages were buried between 258 and 273.
After the disaster, the town was rebuilt, but over a much more limited area. It
was restricted to the space between the Sambre and the Meuse. It may have been
fortified. Perhaps the Vieux Murs of the Champeau, mentioned above, date to this
period and barred the isthmus between the two rivers. Nevertheless, all that is
known of this period are a large number of coins and some inhumation tombs, notably
at the Place d'Armes and La Plante. Nothing is known about Namur's fate at the
end of the Later Empire and about the town's transition to the Early Middle Ages.
S.J. De Laet, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Feb 2006 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.
Subscribe now!