Cenabum

Cenabum (sometimes spelled Genabum ) was the name of a city of the Carnutes located at the site of the current town of Orleans. It was a Oppidum and a prosperous commercial city on the the Loire at the time of the Roman conquest of the Gaulle.

History of the city

This port was the outlet for trade of cereals of Beauce. The city had defenses, if not true fortifications. It also controlled a bridge on the Loire, of economic and strategic importance considerable. Strabon, in its Geography , qualifies the city (Κήναβον) of emporium of Carnutes (τὸ τῶν Καρνούντον ἑμπόριον). Kénabon/Cenabum transcribes a Gallic word probalement having the same direction.

For César, it was imperative to make sure control of this strategic place. It easily succeeds in establishing its protectorate on Carnutes by making sure collaboration of Tasget (or Tasgetios), which it restores on the throne of its aïeux in reward of rendered services. But this situation ends quickly since, at the end of two years, in 54 av. J. - C., Tasget, considered as traitor, is assassinated. César then orders, in full winter, the occupation of Cenabum by Roman legions.

It is Cenabum which gave the signal of the Gallic insurrection whose Vercingétorix took the head quickly, and who justified the seventh countryside of César: in 53 av. J. - C., the Roman traders who had been established there, the intendant Caïus Fufius Cita that César had installed to control this trade and to ensure the supply grains of the legions, as well as the few troops which were there in garrison all were massacred or thrown in the Loire by Carnutes which had penetrated in the city.

César, run of Italy with an extraordinary speed and arrived to Direction, melted on Cenabum moving some and did not even need to make the seat of it. With its approach, the population wanted to flee by the wood bridge which connected two banks of the Loire and, while it was crushed in this narrow outlet, Romans climbed the ramparts. All the inhabitants were massacred and the city was delivered to plundering and the flames.

At the 3rd century, the emperor Aurélien raised it of his ruins (273 - 274), rebuilt his enclosure, detached the new city of the country of Carnutes, on which it had depended hitherto, and its name, Aurelianum or Aureliani , Orleans gave him.

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