France map Lambert-93 topographic-ancient Roman roads

The ''Via Aquitania'' was a

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

created in 118 BC in the Roman province of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

. It started at

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...

, where it connected to the ''

Via Domitia The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is now Southern France. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, and tr ...

''. It then went toward the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, via

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

and

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

, covering approximately .

Founding

Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, along with

Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, was a Roman statesman and general who was elected consul in 121 BC. During his consulship he fought against the Arverni and the Allobroges whom he defeated in 120 BC. He was awarded a triumph and the agnomen A ...

, successfully defeated the

Allobroges The Allobroges (Gaulish: *''Allobrogis'', 'foreigner, exiled'; grc, Ἀλλοβρίγων, Ἀλλόβριγες) were a Gallic people dwelling in a large territory between the Rhône river and the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. ...

and

Arverni The Arverni (Gaulish: *''Aruernoi'') were a Gallic people dwelling in the modern Auvergne region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They were one of the most powerful tribes of ancient Gaul, contesting primacy over the region with the ne ...

tribes in Gaul in 121 BC. This eliminated almost all opposition to the Romans in southern Gaul. Some portions of the coast were still controlled by local tribes, but this did not hinder trade. Rome received tribute from Gauls all the way to

. Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus later served as proconsul in Gaul. In 118 BC, he founded the town of Narbo Martius, modern-day

, and built the ''

'' to make travel to Spain easier. The ''Via Aquitania'' is an offshoot of the ''Via Domitia'' that goes through southwestern Gaul into the province of Aquitania. It is unknown who commissioned the ''Via Aquitania'', but it is likely that Domitius Ahenobarbus built it in order to easily exact tributes from the newly conquered tribes.

Route

The ''Via Aquitania'' was the main Roman road in the province of Aquitania. The province of Aquitania is located in southwestern Gaul. It is bordered on the south and east by the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

, on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the north by the Loire River. The ''Via Aquitania'' begins in Narbonne, where it connects to the Via Domitia. Narbonne was the first Roman colony in Gaul. Its purpose was to be an agricultural colony. Narbonne later became an important trade hub in the time of Augustus. During the

Pax Romana The Pax Romana (Latin for 'Roman peace') is a roughly 200-year-long timespan of Roman history which is periodization, identified as a period and as a golden age (metaphor), golden age of increased as well as sustained Imperial cult of ancient Rome ...

, traveling became safer. This led to an increase in trade. In addition to Narbonne, two other important cities, Toulouse and

, were situated along the ''Via Aquitania''. The ''Via Aquitania'' was the main trade route which connected the Atlantic seaways to Toulouse and Narbonne.Cambridge Ancient History. Vol. X. London: Cambridge UP, 1970. 480. At Toulouse, the Via Aquitania intersected with roads leading north to Lyon, which was a main intersection of Gallic roads. Toulouse later became the

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

capital. The Via Aquitania ended in

Burdigala Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

, modern-day Bordeaux. Bordeaux was an important international trade city, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. After Gaul was divided into the three provinces of Aquitania,

Belgica Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and German ...

, and Lugdunensis, Bordeaux became the capital of Aquitania. The Via Aquitania connected these important cities in southern Gaul.

Notes

{{List of Roman roads Archaeological sites in France Aquitania, Via History of Narbonne 110s BC establishments 2nd-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic