Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "NICE Town ALPES MARITIMES" .
NICE (Town) ALPES MARITIMES
Nicaea (Nikaia: Eth. Nikaieus: Nizza, in French Nice), a city on the
coast of Liguria, situated at the foot of the Maritime Alps, near the frontier
of Gallia Narbonensis. On this account, and because it was a colony of Massilia,
it was in early times commonly reckoned as belonging to Gaul (Steph. B. s. v.);
and this attribution is still followed by Mela (ii. 5. § 3): but from the time
that the Varus became fixed as the limit of Italy, Nicaea, which was situated
about 4 miles to the E. of that river, was naturally included in Italy, and is
accordingly so described by Strabo Pliny, and Ptolemy. (Strab. iv. p. 184; Plin.
iii. 5. s. 7; Ptol. iii. 1. § 2.) We have no account of its early history, beyond
the fact that it was a colony of Massilia, and appears to have continued always
in a state of dependency upon that city. (Strab. iv. pp. 180, 184; Plin. l. c.;
Steph. B. s. v.) It was situated on the borders of the Ligurian tribes of the
Oxybii and Deciates; and, as well as its neighbour Antipolis, was continually
harassed by the incursions of these barbarians. In B.C. 154 both cities were actually
besieged by the Ligurians; and the Massilians, finding themselves unable to repulse
the assailants, applied to Rome for assistance; the consul Q. Opimius, who was
despatched with an army to their succour, quickly compelled the Ligurians to lay
down their arms, and deprived them of a considerable part of their territory,
which was annexed to the dependency of Massilia. (Pol. xxxiii. 4, 7; Liv. Epit.
xlvii.) From this time, nothing more is heard in history of Nicaea, which continued
to belong to the jurisdiction of Massilia, and, even after it came to be subject
to the Romans, and included geographically in Italy, was still for municipal purposes
dependent upon its parent city. (Strab. iv. p. 184.) At a later period, the new
division of the provinces again transferred to Gaul the towns of Nicaea and Cemenelium,
together with the whole district of the Maritime Alps, westward of the Tropaea
Augusti. Hence, we find Nicaea described by Ammianus (xv. 11. § 15) as belonging
to Gaul; and during the decline of the Empire, after it had become an episcopal
see, the names of its bishops are found among the Gaulish prelates. It does not
appear to have ever been a town of much importance under the Roman Empire; and
was apparently eclipsed by the city of Cemenelium (Cimiez), in its immediate neighbourhood.
But it had a good port, which must always have secured it some share of prosperity,
and after the fall of Cemenelium, it rose to be the most important city in this
part of Gaul, and became the capital of an independent district called the Contado
di Nizza (County of Nice). This eventually fell into the hands of the House of
Savoy, and now forms part of the dominions of the king of Sardinia. Nice itself
is a flourishing place, with about 30,000 inhabitants, but has no remains of antiquity.
The ancient city probably occupied the height, now the site of the castle, and
the immediate neighbourhood of the port, which though small, is secure. Nice is
situated at the mouth of the river Paglione, a considerable mountain torrent,
evidently the stream called Paulo by Pliny and Mela. (Plin. l. c.; Mel. ii. 4.
§ 9.)
About 2 miles E. of Nice is a deep bay or inlet between two rocky
promontories, forming a spacious natural, harbour now known as the Gulf of Villafranca,
from a town of that name, which has however existed only since the 13th century.
This is probably the Portus Olivula of the Maritime Itinerary (p. 504). The Anao
Portus of the same Itinerary is probably a small cove, forming a well-sheltered
harbour for small vessels on the E. side of the headland, called Capo di S. Ospizio,
which forms the eastern boundary of the Gulf of Villafranca. A similar cove a
few miles further E. just below the modern village of Eza, is probably the Avisio
Portus of the same authority; but the distances given between these points are
greatly overstated.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ANTIBES (Town) ALPES MARITIMES
Antipolis (Antibes) Alpes-Maritimes, France.
Town on the French Riviera between Nice and Cannes, with a protected
harbor and a small promontory. It was in the Ligurian territory of the Deciates,
and was inhabited from the 10th c. B.C. on. A Greek outpost, established here
by Massilia or Phokaia, left pottery dating from the 6th c. The area has yielded
more and longer Greek inscriptions than anywhere else in S France: the Terpon
stone, a lead curse tablet, the victory monument at Biot, and many sherds with
names of divinities and worshipers. Local coinage, with ANTIP and LEPI in Greek
and a victory trophy (rev.), and head of Apollo (obv.), dates from the 2d c. B.C.
The consul Q. Opimius drove off besieging Ligurians in 154 B.C., and
thereafter Antipolis was protected and developed by Rome; although in Gallia Narbonensis,
it was treated as an Italiote city and given ius Latii. Coin finds indicate its
importance in the Empire, especially in the time of Constantine and the so-called
Gallic usurpers.
Exploratory excavations have located the acropolis under the cathedral
and the adjacent Grimaldi Castle. Here were two Roman cisterns with octagonal
stone columns, and probably the city's main temple; there are Roman houses nearby.
The lower town and port area were expanded in Roman times. Ruins of the theater,
demolished in 1691, lie under the bus station; an amphitheater was apparently
near Rue Fersen. Parts of the ancient ramparts and port jetties survive. Baths
and aqueducts are known, and shipwrecks have been explored. At nearby Vaugrenier
are extensive Roman ruins, and evidence suggesting a Greek shrine of an earth
cult. Finds from the whole area are in the two local museums.
R. V. Schoder, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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