Monday, September 30th - Day 20 Orange - Roman Antiquity

 We were excited to visit the nearby city of Orange, 1/2 hour drive away,  It contains two Unesco World Heritage sites that are 2,000 years old:   Theater and Triumphal Arch.

Interestingly, the name of the city does not come from the fruit but rather developed over the years from the name of Arausio, a Gaulis god.  The Romans invaded Gaul, now France,  in about 200 BC, and stayed until the Fall of the Roman Empire in about 500 AD).  The invading Roman 2nd Legion established themselves where Orange stands today and named it Arausio.

Deb wishes to point out that the current royal family of The Netherlands is from the House of Orange-Nassau, established hundreds of years ago when a French royal woman from Orange married a German Nassau prince. The two territories were thus united and the House of Orange-Nassau was formed.  The Dutch royals descend from that union.  The color orange is the national color of The Netherlands.

The first stop is the Tourist Information Office followed by coffee in a hotel cafe to go over all the information we were given. We picked out 5-6 sites to see and set off.

Note the sign taped to the table.  The translation is:

We walked up the lovely boulevard a few blocks to the end to see a monument in front of the Opera House - The Memorial of Terror - erected in 2019 in homage to the 332 people from Orange guillotined during the revolution in 1794, including 32 nuns.  Incredibly the name, age, and occupation of each person is listed.  Many were farmers and tradesmen like tailors, tradesmen, builders, etc.

The main attraction was around the corner and a 10 minute walk to the 2,000-year-old Roman Forum and huge Theater.    

View 2,000 years ago

The remains of the forum have been excavated and you can just make out the base of a temple and the flat gathering area of the forum in front.  

Next to it is one of the largest and most well-preserved Roman theaters in existence, and it is still used today.  The original roof is no longer there but much of the interior is as it was.  In Roman times there were almost daily performances and other entertainment of all kinds.  While it was open and free for all (even slaves, prostitutes, and other fringe people) seating was strictly according to a person's standing in the community.

Later we bought tickets to a performance in the theater on Friday evening!

A small, interesting museum across from the Theater contained items discovered during excavation and restoration, such as mosaics and pieces of relief

As we walked through the city, we found a few picturesque scenes including those by the small river Meyne that flows through old areas.

At the end of the main city street, is the Triumphal Arch.  

 Built between A.D. 10 and 25, the Roman arch is one of the most beautiful and interesting surviving examples of a provincial triumphal arch from the reign of Augustus. 

It is decorated with low reliefs commemorating military victories and the establishment of the Pax Romana.  The four reliefs on top of the side arches were created as a jumble of military objects such as shields, naval symbols, and standards.  Very strange!

The top relief was a grisly depiction of Romans conquering their enemies.