Bavay is a small village in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, less than an hour’s drive from Lille and Brussels. In the 1st century AD, Bagacum, as it was called back then, was the capital (civitas) of the Nervii, the most powerful Belgic tribe living in northern Gaul. Being located on the spot where seven major routes met, Bagacum was an important stopping-off point between the provinces of Germania and Britannia. This strategic emplacement allowed the city to become an important urban centre of Belgian Gaul. The future emperor Tiberius passed through Bagacum with his armies around AD 4 (an inscription attesting to his presence was found in 1716). Here the Romans built one of the largest forums in the Roman Empire.

Coordinates: 50° 17′ 53.16″ N, 3° 47′ 56.04″ E

From the Claudian period and later under the Flavians, the city of Bagacum expanded quite rapidly. Large monuments were built: a forum, thermal baths fed by an aqueduct and other buildings with a seemingly official nature adorned the city. Disproportionately big compared to the town’s size, the forum is the only entirely preserved example of a Roman forum in France. Its basilica is one of the largest known to have existed in the entire Roman Empire.

Trade and commerce flourished following the construction of the roads and the exploitation of the river network. The city became a major market centre for pottery, and workshops have been found there. Merchants sold sigillata, wickerwork, cloth, food and bread. An exceptional set of over 300 objects in bronze (the “Bronze Treasure”) was discovered in Bagacum. Current estimates suggest the town ultimately covered about 40ha and may have counted a population of 15,000.

The gradual decline of Bagacum started in the 3rd century AD, and a massive defensive wall was built at the turn of the 4th century AD. Today the fortifications are one of the most imposing elements of the archaeological site. Bagacum was destroyed during the barbarian invasions and never recovered its former influence. It would not be rediscovered until the eighteenth century.

The Museum is located right next to the archaeological site. It houses an important pottery and bronze collection. Two exhibition spaces are dedicated to the permanent collection. The first room presents the public areas of a Roman city; the second room concerns the private life of the inhabitants of Bagacum.

Portfolio

The Forum of Bagacum was 240 m long and nearly 110 m wide. It was one of a series of forums known as “tripartite forums”, which included three main parts: the esplanade, the basilica and the temple.

The esplanade was a large paved square in the centre of the forum, surrounded on the longer sides by porticoes. — The esplanade was a large paved square in the centre of the forum.

The Forum of Bagacum was surrounded on the longer sides by porticoes. A series of administrative offices were to be found under the porticoes. Citizens came to these offices to exchange money, use the weights and measures service (ponderarium) or consult a lawyer.

The Forum of Bagacum had a line of shops facing the street. Some forty shops offered a variety of products and services. Merchants sold pottery, wickerwork, cloth, food and bread.

The remains of the semi-underground galleries known as the cryptoporticus. It was probably used as a walking area since the quality of the structure and its decoration are outstanding. — The remains of the semi-underground galleries, known as the cryptoporticus.

The remains of the semi-underground galleries known as the cryptoporticus. — The remains of the semi-underground galleries, known as the cryptoporticus.

The sacred area is found on the west side of the esplanade and is smaller but on a higher level. — The sacred area of the forum is located on the west side of the esplanade on a higher level.

on the side of the esplanade are the ruins of a large building that was on a higher level than the esplanade: this was the basilica. — On the side of the esplanade are the ruins of a large basilica which was the centre of legal and political activity. The basilica of Bagacum was one of the largest in the Empire, measuring 98 m long.

The remarkably well preserved defensive wall built in the 4th century AD. — The remarkably well-preserved defensive wall was built in the 4th century AD.

The first exhibition space dedicated to the public areas of a Roman city. Some monumental architectural features allow visitors to appraise the size of the site. The finely worked pillars and capitals show the care taken by the Romans in constructing the forum of Bagacum, the capital city of the Nervian tribe. Some of these monumental pieces are on now show for the first time. — The first exhibition space is dedicated to the public areas of Bagacum. Some monumental architectural features allow visitors to appraise the size of the site. The finely worked pillars and capitals show the Romans’ care in constructing the city’s forum.

The second exhibition space presents the private life of the inhabitants of Bagacum. On display are decorative items for the home, toilet implements or tools for working the land, all revealing aspects of everyday life and the different classes of people.

3D reconstruction of the Forum of Bagacum in the 2nd century AD

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May 28, 2016December 3, 2022 by followinghadrian Categories: FranceTags: Belgica, France, Gallia 4 Comments

The Louvre-Lens is an art museum located in Lens at the heart of a coal mining area, approximately 200 kilometres north of Paris. It displays objects borrowed from the collections of the Musée du Louvre on a medium or long-term basis.

Its collections are displayed in a contemporary building designed by the Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, a multiple award-winning architectural firm based in Tokyo. Officially opened on the 4th December 2012, the museum now enjoys international acclaim as a unique must-see attraction.

The Galerie du Temps (Gallery of Time), the main exhibition space and the heart of the Louvre-Lens, houses a selection of masterpieces arranged chronologically, starting with the birth of writing in 3500 BC and finishing with the year 1850. Each year, some art pieces return to the Louvre in Paris and are replaced by others.

The 200 works originate from the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Islamic world and Europe. The Galerie du Temps is a wide open hall (125m long and 25m wide) where the objects are placed in the centre of the room in order to create a full 360° dialogue between them.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ANTIQUE COLLECTION

Pre-cuneiform writing tablet noting food ratios, Archives from the Temple of the Sky God, from Uruk (Irak), Late Uruk Period, around 3300 BC, Louvre Lens — Pre-cuneiform writing tablet noting food ratios. Archives from the Temple of the Sky God
From Uruk (Irak)
Late Uruk Period, around 3300 BC.
The first documents written on clay tablets appeared in Uruk IV, around 3300 BC.

Painted limestone statue of the Majordomo Keki, “head of the household”, civil servant of the Pharaoh
From Giza, Egypt
Around 2500-2350 BC (6th Dynasty).