Lugdunum: How Ancient Lyon Became the Capital of Roman Gaul I SLICE HISTORY

Today, Lyon is the third-largest city in France but during ancient times, it was the largest. At the time, the capital of the Gauls was called Lugdunum. Between the end of the first century BC and the second century AD, all the monuments worthy of a Roman capital would be built in the city and Lyon would become a showcase for Rome in these lands conquered by Julius Caesar.

This can be seen from its theatre: 108 metres in diameter and over 30 metres high, it is among the most beautiful remains of ancient Lyon. It was a monumental structure that was capable of accommodating 10,000 spectators, which is five times more than the Garnier Opera in Paris. With its Roman concrete structure, its almost perfect acoustics, and its stage wall that is worthy of a palace façade, it's a veritable masterpiece of architecture and engineering that aimed to Romanise the Gauls.

Lyon owed its standing as the capital of the Gauls to one of the empire's most important architectural complexes. The Sanctuary of the Three Gauls held pride of place at the site now known as La Croix-Rousse hill. Every year, the representatives of the 60 Gallic Tribes gathered there to proclaim their devotion to Rome and the emperor. Alongside it was a monumental amphitheatre dedicated to gladiatorial combats, animal fights, and executions, which could accommodate 20,000 spectators.

The capital of the Gauls had the empire's second water network after that of Rome. Its 200 kilometres of aqueducts could transport over 30,000 cubic metres of water around the city each day. To bring the water up to the top of Fourvière hill, the Roman engineers built numerous siphons capable of carrying the water across valleys several kilometres wide thanks to lead pipes. Their construction required 10,000 tonnes of lead, which is almost the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

Beneath the city, in the 1960s, archaeologists found an underground structure that was unique in the Roman world: fish bones. This maze of tunnels almost 2 kilometres long, that's as long as the Champs-Elysées in Paris, could be reached through over 400 metres of access shafts. Its function remains a mystery still today.

Documentary: Roman Megastructures EP3 : Lugdunum
Directed by: Stanislas Kraland
Production: La Famiglia (2022)

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