Editing Provence (section)

=== Roman Provence (2nd century BC to 5th century AD) ===
[[File:Trarch Orange.jpg|thumb|[[Triumphal Arch of Orange]], first century AD]]
In the 2nd century BC the people of Massalia appealed to Rome for help against the Ligures. Roman legions entered Provence three times; first in 181 BC the Romans suppressed Ligurian uprisings near Genoa; in 154 BC the Roman Consul Optimus defeated the [[Oxybii]] and the [[Deciates]], who were attacking Antibes; and in 125 BC, the Romans put down an uprising of a confederation of Celtic tribes.<ref>Bastié, ''Histoire de la'' ''Provence'', pg. 9</ref> After this battle, the Romans decided to establish permanent settlements in Provence. In 122 BC, next to the Celtic town of Entremont, the Romans built a new town, ''Aquae Sextiae'', later called [[Aix-en-Provence]]. In 118 BC they founded ''Narbo'' ([[Narbonne]]).

The Roman general [[Gaius Marius]] crushed the last serious resistance in 102 BC by defeating the [[Cimbri]] and the [[Teutons]]. He then began building roads to facilitate troop movements and commerce between Rome, Spain and Northern Europe; one from the coast inland to [[Apt, Vaucluse|Apt]] and [[Tarascon]], and the other along the coast from Italy to Spain, passing through [[Fréjus]] and Aix-en-Provence.

[[File:FranceArlesArenes 07-2013.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Arles Amphitheatre|Roman arena]] at [[Arles]] (2nd century AD)]]
In 49 BC, Massalia had the misfortune to choose the wrong side in the power struggle between [[Pompey]] and [[Julius Caesar]]. Pompey was defeated, and Massalia lost its territories and political influence. Roman veterans, in the meantime, populated two new towns, Arles and Fréjus, at the sites of older Greek settlements.

In 8 BC the Emperor [[Augustus]] built a triumphal monument at [[La Turbie]] to commemorate the pacification of the region, and he began to Romanize Provence politically and culturally. Roman engineers and architects built monuments, theatres, baths, villas, fora, arenas and [[Roman aqueduct|aqueducts]], many of which still exist. (See [[Architecture of Provence]].) Roman towns were built at [[Cavaillon]]; [[Orange, Vaucluse|Orange]]; [[Arles]]; [[Fréjus]]; [[Glanum]] (outside [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]]); [[Carpentras]]; [[Vaison-la-Romaine]]; [[Nîmes]]; [[Vernègues]]; [[Saint-Chamas]] and [[Cimiez]] (above Nice). The Roman province, which was called [[Gallia Narbonensis]], for its capital, Narbo (modern Narbonne), extended from Italy to Spain, from the [[Alps]] to the [[Pyrenees]].

The [[Pax Romana]] in Provence lasted until the middle of the 3rd century. [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] tribes invaded Provence in 257 and 275. At the beginning the 4th century, the court of Roman Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]] (ca. 272–337) was forced to take refuge in Arles. By the end of the 5th century, Roman power in Provence had vanished, and an age of invasions, wars, and chaos began.