Remains of ancient Aventicum at the Musée Romain d'Avenches, Avenches, Switzerland

Remains of ancient Aventicum at the Musée Romain d'Avenches, Avenches, Switzerland.
Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). The city was founded after the Helvetii were conquered by Julius Caesar in the early 1st century CE. Aventicum and the Helvetii land was incorporated into the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. Tacitus, writing about 69 CE, speaks of the Helvetians as originally a Gallic people, renowned for their valor and exploits in war, and he designates Aventicum as their Caput gentis.
During the Year of the Four Emperors which followed Nero’s death, the civitas Helvetiorum supported Galba. Unaware of his death, they refused to accept the authority of his rival, Vitellius. The Legio XXI Rapax, stationed in Vindonissa and favoring Vitellius, stole the pay of a Helvetian garrison, which prompted the Helvetians to intercept the messengers and detain a Roman detachment. Aulus Caecina Alienus, a former supporter of Galba who was now at the head of a Vitellian invasion of Italy, launched a massive punitive campaign, crushing the Helvetii at Mount Vocetius, killing and enslaving thousands. Aventicum was then besieged and quickly surrendered. The city was nearly ordered destroyed by the Romans but, owing to the pleas of one Claudius Cossus, a Helvetian envoy to Vitellius, and, as Tacitus puts it, “of well-known eloquence” the city was spared. Aventicum was raised to the status of a colonia in 72 CE under the reign of Vespasian and entered its golden age.
The Roman Museum is housed in a medieval tower erected on the amphitheater in 11th century. The most important discoveries there include a gold bust of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, sculptures, mosaics, inscriptions on stone, and fragments of a Roman water organ. The archaeological site includes an amphitheater that could hold 16,000 people, a theater, a temple thought to have been the chief temple of the imperial cult, a smaller temple, the city wall and east gate built during the reign of Vespasian, the forum, and the baths constructed sometime after 77 CE.


Image: Reproduction of the Golden Bust of Marcus Aurelius. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Fanny Schertzer.

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