History of Marignane

The valley of Marignane, rich agricultural valley, was the crossroads of great events. In addition to the general Marius, the Norman ones, the Moors, she saw passing Caïus Marius César which besieged Marseilles in 50 av. J. - C., putting a seat at Marseilles and another to the mouth of the Rhone.

With the Bronze Age, the habitats were dispersed and no trace appears to date on Marignane if not of the older traces of Chasséen in the south of the vault Notre Dame de Pitié (Sicard discoveries carried to the archaeological chart of Gaulle - CAG -). At the age of old iron II, the territory seems to be organized around and since the Oppidum of Notre Dame de Pitié, tardily built towards -380 (towards -525 in Celtic Méditerranéenne where the oppida developed at the sides of the counters thanks to the economic development of Marseilles and of the Etruscan and Greek trade) and precociously abandoned towards -180 (around -100 in this same Celtic).

Does this presence seem to be related to particular events rather than with the general movement of with the expansion of the Greek city of Massalia at the end of From which come the populations, unknown factors in the valley, others oppida? Why do they leave there precociously whereas there is not trace of violence, economic, political changes? We do not have today any indication on what was the territory between the end of the occupation of the oppidum (180 av. J. - C.) and the Fondation of Caïus Marius in 104 av. J. - C. advanced by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc at the end of the 16th century.

The first historical times leave few traces. The first trace is mythical and relates to the Christianisation of Marignane and Berre the pond. Several sites of habitats were on this territory at the time Roman. Names reached us and in the scriptural sources of the cartulaires of Victor Saint, one finds Lainerolas, Papia (close to the pond of the Lion).

Pomponius Mixed (10 av. J. - C. - 54 a. J. - C.), indicates in its geographical treaty which describes people and country of the edges of the Mediterranean which the villa which it occupied (with the site of the tracks of the airport) was in the country of origin of Aruas (Aryan).

Marinius which gave its name to Marignane dies there into 479. It had been named by Majorien (emperor from 456 to 461) and ordered legions, Roman troops, centuries and décuries, based in the low Rhone-native area. Marinius had forced the admiration of Rome by its strategic control against Huns with Badriacum. Its skin was brought back to Rome by Bimardus. What did it occur between this time and the end from the thousand-year-old first? In Papia the first known castle of the family of the Beams was. This one which could be of wood then stone, between, will be transferred on the current place from Marignane. According to A. Longnon, at the time Carolingian (IXe S.) and in Xe S., Marignana, Cadarascum, Istrum and Fossa were the only cities around the pond of Berre and, at the beginning of the reign of Henri Ier, in 1032, Marignana, with the First knights of the country of Oc and Fos were strongholds. An assumption of research is that this last castle is founded on the influences of a construction templière, assumption reinforced by the fact that Guillaume and Raymond of the Beams were first crusade and benefactors and members of the Order. The Order had goods in this seigniory of Marignane and in particular on the site of Saint-Michel of Gignac, today on the commune of the Rove. The limits of the territory under the Old Mode, are not those of a city with its administrative terminals such as we know them today, they are those of the influence of the lord: the seigniory. At the top of its territorial expansion, the seigniory of Marignane recovered Marignane, but also Saint-Victoret and the territories of Gignac and Rove going to the Mediterranean creeks.

according to GERMAN Marcel, " Marignane in brèves" * Association of the Marignane-native Inheritance

To follow…

Document of history: to see it video on the intervention of the GIGN for the release of the hostages of the Algiers-Paris airbus, 1994

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