Lugdunum Convenarum

Lugdunum Convenarum , literally “hill of the god Lug of the Convènes” is the name usually given today to an important ancient urban site of the south-west of the Roman Gaulle|, corresponding today to the town of Saint-Bertrand-with-Comminges.

History

In -72, Pompée returns from Spain to help Metellus to fight another Roman former general, Sertorius, félon which wanted to take its independence. Sertorius dies assassinated by one of its lieutenants Mr. Perperna (or Perpenna) Vento. To fix its troops become useless, Pompée would have based in Lugdunum Convenarum, (Saint-Bertrand-with-Comminges) a fort on this oppidum natural. This city was to become a hearth of romanisation of all this area (Montmaurin, Valcabrère, Valentine, Thermes of Luchon and Val of Aran…) and to contribute to fix the Gallo-Roman populations at it.

Toponymy

Lug would be a Celtic god or a Gallic corbel or perhaps a deformation of lux , " the lumière" in Latin. The suffix - dunum is an element Celtic, present in many toponyms in France (Augustodunum, " hill of Auguste" : Autun, for example).

The city is thus known as of Ier century under the name of Λουγδουνον , the city of the Κονουενοι , (the Convènes) in the texts of the geographers: Strabon, then Ptolémée. Since Hérode Antipas would have been exiled there, the name of the east city quoted only in the chronicles of the historian Flavius Josèphe who, on the other hand, never quotes the Convènes. In the same way, in IIIe century, in the Route of Antonin (Itinerarium Provinciarum Antonini Augusti) .

In IVe century, Saint Jerome does not use any more the name of Lugdunum, but speaks about the town of Convenae, where Convènes gathered, in unum oppidum congregavit , and where they took their name, unde and nomen Convenarum accepit . Starting from this date and during all Middle Ages, it is the name of Convenae which is used by Sidoine Apollinaire and Gregoire de Tours.

The Convènes, or " people rassemblés" , idiot-venit in Latin, would be indeed, the name given to the populations which would have been in this part of Pyrenean Piedmont, which corresponds about to the Plateau of Lannemezan. In fact, this name is given especially by opposition with the Volques Tectosages of Toulouse, with the Auscii of Auch, and others Celtibères.

The name Convenae and its various alternatives, appearing in particular in the writings of these bishops, evolved/moved in Commenae , then in Comminges.

The association of the ancient denomination Lugdunum and that medieval of Convenae, would be a more modern creation, especially intended to differentiate it from Lugdunum - Lyon, as from the XIXe century. An approximate epigraphic translation in 1866 would have accredited this construction in particular.

Archaeological excavations

The Gallo-Roman city appears starting from 1913 thanks to the first archaeological investigations. During more than one half-century, excavation campaigns put at the temple day, forum, trophy, gone, Roman Thermes, private dwellings, Christian Basilique allowing the progressive reconstitution of the history of the site, of the origins at the end of the Life century.

Stopped in 1970, archaeological research begins again intensely as from 1989.

The tradition says that, in its larger extension, the city would have covered all the surface of the valley and would have been wider than Lutèce at the same time. A diction Latin specifies “that a cat could have gone from roof in roof since Lugdunum until Valentine” , that is to say 12 km! and still that the city counted 60.000 inhabitants: according to Pomponius Mixed, Toulouse, however already one of the main cities of the area, did not have any whereas 20.000.

On the site, will be built later a Cathédrale and the city will become Saint-Bertrand-with-Comminges.

External bonds

  • Monograph carried out by pupils

Sources, Bibliography

  • Jean-Luc Schenck, to finish some with Lugdunum Convenarum , Re-examined of Comminges and the central Pyrenees, Volume CXXI N°4 Last quarters 2005

  • Henri CAP, Luchon and its past , ED. Privat, 1984

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