thumb|300px|Switzerland during the Roman era, showing Aventicum and the Helvetii region

thumb|Carved limestone objects from Aventicum

Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches.

The city was probably created ex nihilo in the early 1st century AD, as the capital of the recently conquered territory of the Helvetii, across the road that connected Italy to Britain, built under Claudius. Under the rule of Emperor Vespasian, who grew up there, Aventicum was raised to the status of a colonia in 72 AD, whereupon it entered its golden age. The town wall was long but was impracticable for defensive purposes and was doubtless intended as a display of the status of the city.

In the Christian era Aventicum was the seat of a bishopric. The most famous of its bishops was Marius Aventicensis. His terse chronicle, spanning the years 455 to 581, is one of the few sources for the 6th-century Burgundians. Shortly after the Council of Macon, in 585, Marius moved the seat from Aventicum, due to the rapid decline of the city, to Lausanne.

Prehistoric Aventicum

The area around Aventicum was occupied before the Romans founded the city. There have been numerous lake-dwellings discovered within the adjoining Lake Murten, with at least 16 stilt house settlements having been found. In the largest site, the piles extend over an area of thus forming a large station or village. A great number of objects have been found buried in the mud amongst the piles, consisting of implements of stone and bone, such as hatchets, chisels, needles, awls, besides a vast quantity of the bones of animals. The pottery is a coarse, dark red kind of earthenware containing numerous grains of quartz, and there are 12 or 15 varieties.

Migration of the Helvetii

thumb|250px|Die Helvetier zwingen die Römer unter dem Joch hindurch (The Helvetians force the Romans to pass under the yoke). Romantic painting by [[Charles Gleyre (19th century) celebrating the Helvetian victory over the Romans at Agen (107 BC) under Divico's command.]]

The Helvetii probably reached southern Germany around the year 111 BC and soon invaded Gaul. During their invasion of the Roman province Gallia Narbonensis, they defeated a Roman army under L. Cassius Longinus near Agendicum in 107 BC and killed the consul. They continued to march into Spain, Gaul, Noricum, and northern Italy. Suffering defeats in the year 102–101 BC the surviving Helvetii retreated across the Alps.

In 58 BC, the nobleman Orgetorix instigated a new Helvetian migration, in which the entire tribe was to leave their territory (which is now described as corresponding more or less to the Swiss plateau) and establish supremacy over all of Gaul. They marched from their villages, but were stalled by Julius Caesar on the banks of the Rhône. The Helvetii then marched around and across the Jura Mountains, to an area near the Aeduan oppidum Bibracte. There Caesar caught up and defeated the Helvetii in the Battle of Bibracte. This resulted in the Helvetii's retreat and the capture of most of their baggage by the Romans. Following their surrender, the Helvetii became foederati, an allied civitas required to provide soldiers, but not granted Roman citizenship.

The Helvetii likely lost their status as foederati six years later, when they supported Vercingetorix in 52 BC. Sometime between 50 and 45 BC, the Romans founded Colonia Iulia Equestris at the site of the Helvetian settlement Noviodunum (modern Nyon). This colony was most likely established as a means for controlling one of the two important military access routes between the Helvetian territory and the rest of Gaul, blocking passage through the Rhône valley and the Sundgau.

During the following half century, the Helvetii would become increasingly romanized. During this time, there were two settlements near where Aventicum would be founded. The first was the oppidum on Mont Vully between Lake Murten and Lake Neuchatel, which was given up in the 1st century BC. The second was the Bois de Châtel, which was fortified in the second half of the 1st century BC. A grave has also been discovered in the city that dates to 15 AD. During that time there was a small settlement built, in the north east corner of modern Avenches, in the Roman square style. However, this site can only be dated to the reign of Tiberius (14–37 AD). or capital of Helvetia. It acquired this title most probably on account of its comparatively advanced state of civilization and its conspicuous position on the main route between Italy and Germany. It was also the centre of a network of well used military roads. Aventicum and Nyon (Colonia Equestris) located on the shores of Lake Geneva were the starting points for all mile-stones in Helvetia.

During the first three-quarters of the 1st century AD, Aventicum became a center of the Imperial cult in the Civitas Helvetiorum. However, the Helvetii came into conflict once more with Rome shortly after the death of emperor Nero in 68 AD. Like the other Gallic tribes, the Helvetii were organised as a civitas and enjoyed a certain inner autonomy, including the defence of certain strongholds by their own troops. In the civil war and Year of Four Emperors which followed Nero's death, the civitas Helvetiorum supported Galba; unaware of his death, they refused to accept the authority of his rival, Vitellius. The Legio XXI Rapax, stationed in Vindonissa and favouring Vitellius, stole the pay of a Helvetian garrison, which prompted the Helvetians to intercept the messengers and detain a Roman detachment. Aulus Caecina Alienus, a former supporter of Galba who was now at the head of a Vitellian invasion of Italy, launched a massive punitive campaign, crushing the Helvetii at Mount Vocetius, killing and enslaving thousands. Aventicum was then besieged and quickly surrendered. The city was nearly ordered destroyed by the Romans, but owing to the pleas of one Claudius Cossus, a Helvetian envoy to Vitellius, and, as Tacitus puts it, "of well-known eloquence" the city was spared.

Raised to a Colonia

During the Year of Four Emperors (69 AD) Vitellius, who nearly ordered Aventicum destroyed, was the third. The fourth, Vespasian, had a much more positive influence on Aventicum. While he was born in Falacrina, in the Sabine country near Reate. His father, Titus Flavius Sabinus, was a banker on a small scale in Aventicum, where Vespasian lived for some time. About two years after Vespasian was declared emperor, he raised Aventicum to the status of a colonia, granting exceptional civic status. A colonia was a town that was a specific residential location for legionaries who upon retirement were granted land and became citizens. This encouraged land development and stability and not least the extension of Roman culture. Previously, Aventicum had been the capital of a non-citizen nation. The increased prestige that being a colonia brought ushered in a golden age for Aventicum. During this time Aventicum was known as Pia Flavia Constans Emerita.

Destruction and rediscovery

The Alemanni sacked the city in the 280s, and neither Aventicum nor its hinterland recovered from both the impact of the attack and the subsequent changes of the Roman frontier which no longer granted security to the area. By the collapse of Rome in the 5th century, this area was already fully under the control of Germanic tribes, whose dialects became the basis for Swiss German. In the 6th century some Christian life continued in the acropolis of the Roman town: the amphitheatre became a fortress as did the theatre. By the 7th century, however, the focus of the church had moved to Lausanne, Aventicum is only mentioned as an old ruined city though it had fallen into ruins previously. Over the following centuries it is mentioned but always as ruins.

In 1710, Marquard Wild was the first to argue that Aveticum had been the capital of Helvetia, and not Antre as was formerly believed. In 1783–86 the Marquess of Northampton led an archaeological expedition to Aventicum and in 1788 he put his discoveries on display. His discoveries encouraged many treasure seekers to travel to Aventicum to search for artefacts. In response to the finds, the Musée Vespasien was opened in 1824. In 1838, it was taken over by the Canton of Vaud, renamed the Roman Museum, and installed in the tower of the Amphitheatre.

In 1884, the association Pro Aventico was founded with a goal of discovering and preserving the ruins. Aventicum was a well-known location in the Grand Tour and J. M. W. Turner made a drawing of Avenches: the Roman Column,'Le Cicognier in 1802, which shows the old town behind. Archaeology benefited curiously from the First and Second World Wars when foreigners interned in Switzerland, and local unemployed, were engaged to excavate the main buildings of the Roman city and to renovate and open to the public the theatre, "Cigognier" and the gates and one tower of the wall. With the advent of the national highway scheme in the late 1960s a programme of rescue archaeology was set up under the association Pro Aventico under the remarkably capable direction of Professor Hans Bogli, after whom the Roman museum has since been named. Early work uncovered the Forum and associated temple area including a possible "Capitolium".

In 1985, during the construction of the A1 highway, further portions of the Roman town were discovered. In 1987 the road was moved to avoid the site.

The second phase expanded the amphitheatre considerably. A total of 31 rows of stone seats were built, which increased the capacity to about 16,000. The walls were expanded and alcoves were added. On the east side a monumental main portal was built out of massive stone cubes. The expanded amphitheatre was (without the outer courtyard or the east main portal) , while the arena floor remained the same size. The outer walls were high.

thumb|left|The Theatre with the modern town of Avenches in the background

The theatre is built in the style of a classical Roman theatre, but does have some Gallo-Roman modifications. Both the orchestra and the cavea (spectator seating) are nearly horseshoe shaped. The actual stage is a simple wooden platform. The scaenae frons or background wall had three doors leading to the relatively small () stage building (postscaenium) which is built projecting out behind the wall. The scaenae frons was built with a gap in the wall which showed the Cigognier Temple to the audience. The theatre was used for comedies and tragedies, but there is also a "cult niche" at the foot of the audience's section with the stage forming an altar. This indicates that the theatre may have also been used for "dedicating plays" for religious ceremonies. The nest was removed during a restoration in 1978, but the name has remained.

The Cigognier Temple was built as a massive and impressive temple and may have been the chief temple of the Imperial cult in the entire civitas Helvetiorum state. At the temple the Roman Empire, symbolized by the divine Emperor, would be worshipped by the citizens and inhabitants of the state. Supporting this theory, a gold bust of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius was found hidden in drains on the site of the temple. Additionally, the temple was laid out in the same manner as the Temple of Peace in Rome. Finally, the temple was built near the Theatre, which also may have had a role in the worship of the Emperor.

The temple is partly restored. A section of the foundation of the south wall of the cella, originally , and part of the podium, originally , are visible today. While the stairs leading up the podium are gone, the location of the altar and the fountain as well as the partially reconstructed canopy are also visible on the podium. The rear of the podium is on the north side of the Avenue Jomini. The rest of the temple site is covered by the Avenue, though the floor plan of the temple is laid out in stones embedded in the road. Based on reconstructions, many of the dimensions of the temple are known. The podium was high, with a cella that was about high and covered with a four sided roof. The cella is surrounded by a narrow colonnaded portico facade with pillars that are in diameter, high and the trusses above the pillars were thick. The entrance to the temple was set off with 4 pillars ( in diameter).

Baths

The Baths (known as Thermen von En Perruet or Baths at the Forum) were located directly east of the Forum of Aventicum. They were built during the expansion to a colony, sometime after 77 AD. They were financed by a wealthy romanized Helvetii family known as the Camilli.

See also

  • Switzerland in the Roman era
  • List of cities founded by the Romans
  • List of Roman sites

References

  • Catholic Encyclopedia : St. Marius Aventicus
  • Roman Museum Aventicum Roman Museum Aventicum [https://web.archive.org/web/20110507031754/http://www.avenches.ch/de/siteetmuseeromain ] (Avenches Tourisme)
  • Musée Romain Avenches [https://web.archive.org/web/20110119085756/http://www.aventicum.org/de/default.htm ]
  • Map of the city of Aventicum