The Loire Valley is not renowned for its Roman archaeological value; more for its wines, cheeses and potent home-brewed calvados. Yet on my recent trip to this beautiful region of northern France I had the pleasure of spending a day at Jublains, (previously known as Noviodunum), a site of rare and fascinating historical interest.
The story of Noviodunum begins with the Gallic tribe of the Diablintes who inhabited the area and after whom the town was named, (a little etymological test for those of you so inclined.) The Romans moved in in the 1st century AD and transformed what was previously a small rural town into a rather noteworthy spot on the trail from the Channel down to Italy. Still standing there today is a full-sized amphitheatre, a temple to one of the local Gallic deities, a warehouse-turned-fortress, and the remains of a busy forum - under the modern church lurks a full set of baths, complete with a smooth-floored caldarium and exposed hypocaust. It is truly amazing to see how much of this town lies intact, not to mention the varied and well-preserved artefacts found on the site and housed in their museum. Statues, mosaics, coins, sarcophagi, weapons, tablets, headstones, pots, pans, jewellery, ornaments and amphorae have all been uncovered there, giving an unprecedentedly rounded view of the life that the town's inhabitants must have lived. Among the open, sunny streets there are still the most tantalising of traces of those ancient dwellers; walking up the slopes of the theatre, or peering over the walls into the inner sanctum of the temple, you almost feel as if you were walking amongst them.
Above, in order: the remaining walls of what was thought to be a storehouse for precious metals and other treasures, the amphitheatre, the covered remains of the local temple.
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