Les villes romaines en Normandie et la transmission de nouveaux modes de vie dans le nord de la Gaule

Terms related to the Romanization of Normandy at the early stages of a new provincial organizations deserve the attention and scrutiny due to the different nature of the adaptation patterns, from the capital on distant north to the area of Mediterranean Gaul. Differences were already well presented to view in Caesar’s ‘Gallic Wars’. This dissident situation in northern Gaul refers to the practical lack of communication between previous inhabitants of these lands and the Romans, which took place in the southern part of the province. Recently a number of archaeological studies has provided information on adapting structures existing in Normandy to the Roman model. The main factor for the spread of new ideas, and also for the subordination of the local population, was a high level of urbanization of the province. Roman culture and new patterns of life were disseminated mainly by towns. The process of Romanization of Normandy is a very broad question, so the author has decided to choose one site that could serve as a model of such a new city, namely Lillebonne (formerly Port of Juliobona), located just a few kilometers from the bed of the Seine in the department of Seine-Maritime. This particular city seems to be well representative case, due to the large number of Roman objects, numerous monuments of exceptional rank and a rich history of archaeological research, dating back to the first half of the nineteenth century. An important fact that should be taken into account when discussing issues of Normandy Romanization is a phenomenon that might be called ‘long origins’. While the founding of the city is associated with the rule of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and we can locate it in the forties of the first century, the main monuments typical for the Roman city appear there only by the very end of the century, i.e. c. 50 years later: this applies to the first amphitheater, since the baths appeared in Juliobona even later on, at the turn of the second century. Similarly, most of the material and historical objects comes from the end of the second and from the third century – which might mean that the role of Rome in the establishment of the cities of Normandy was to designate their location, boundaries and topography. What is more, it seems that the development and construction of prestigious buildings depended firmly on the economic success of inhabitants of these cities.