Es waren einmal die Allobrogen. Im 2. Jahrhundert v. Chr. machte dieses gallische Volk Wien zu seiner Hauptstadt. Es war damals die zweite Stadt Galliens, bevor es eine römische Kolonie wurde, eine echte politische und kommerzielle Hochburg.
The city, then called Colona Julia Biennensis, occupied a strategic crossing point, between the ways coming from the Alps, that which connected the north of Gaul to the Mediterranean and the river way. Vast warehouses bear witness to the importance of Vienna, which has become the second port after Rome. It was one of the richest cities of Roman Gaul in the 1st and 4th centuries AD.
During excavations but also during construction work, many remains have been brought to light, justifying the construction of a museum in Saint-Romain-en-Gal, on the right bank of the Rhône. The building, integrated into the Roman walls and partially built on stilts over a Roman house, opens its glass facades onto the river. This Museum of France is one of the rare museums of French sites.
The bright interior showcases the magnificent mosaics of impressive finesse and which bear witness to the expertise of mosaicists in the Gallo-Roman period.
The representation of Orpheus measures 1.85 cm on the side while the tesserae of the Viennese mosaics measure from 1 mm to 2 cm on the side for a thickness of 0.5 to 3 cm! The very detailed decorations resemble those found in Pompeii.
Among the masterpieces of the museum is the mosaic of the god Ocean. Disappeared in 1974, it is found in 15 pieces on a sales catalog.
Passing through the different rooms, we also discover wall paintings, numerous ceramic, bone, glass and metal objects which bear witness to the life and activities of the inhabitants. Models reconstruct the city, the warehouses and the great houses of the Roman era.
Outside, the visitor follows in the footsteps of the Gallo-Romans by following the paved paths that ran through this vast district made up of large urban houses, warehouses, workshops, private thermal baths with a very elaborate.
A rich and varied cultural program as well as temporary exhibitions make the visit of the site which allows you to go back 2000 years in time, lively and fun. The site even houses a small vineyard to better tell the story of the vine introduced by the Romans.
With the help of Pierre Gaillard, you can even taste wines made according to Roman recipes including a wine from Vinalia, the museum's Roman harvest, prepared according to a text by Columelle, an agronomist from the 1st century AD.
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