Augusta Viromanduorum


Augusta Viromanduorum is an ancient Gallo-Roman settlement, corresponding to the modern city of Saint-Quentin.

History

Augusta Viromandorum, was founded during the reign of Emperor Augustus, just 11km away from Vermand, the main oppidum of the Viromandui. The settlement is mentioned as Au̓goústa Ou̓iromandúōn by Ptolemy, as Augusta Veromandorum in the Antonine Itinerary, as Aug. Viro Muduorum on the Tabula Peutingeriana, and perhaps as Civitas Veromandorum by the Notitia Galliarum.
Closer to an important trade route between Italy and the port of Boulogne, Augusta Viromandorum soon replaced Vermand as the main settlement of the region. It reached a size of 40–60ha during the Roman era, in the average of Gallo-Roman chief towns.
During the 4th century, the lack of archaeological evidence suggest that the settlement was deserted or its population considerably reduced. Some scholars have argued that Vermand replaced Augusta as the capital from this period up until the 9th century, when the regional prominence shifted definitely to Saint-Quentin in the 9th century. This "fluctuation" of power could be explained by the insecurities of the period, which led the local inhabitants to seek for protection in the old though near oppidum, since Saint-Quentin did not possess a castrum. Malsy rejects this hypothesis, and Beaujard and Prévot doubt it, suggesting that the episcopal siege may have been in Saint-Quentin before its transfer to Noyon.