AVENCHES (Aventicum)		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History & Occupation:

Likely one of the 12 towns of the Helvetii named by Caesar, this town became a Roman city in the early days of Augustus, and was designated the tribal capital of the Helvetii. The town was in an important position and grew wealthy and influential, laying at a crossroads on the important route from Italy to the Rhine frontier, by a lake on a navigable river system. Given colony status by Vespasian, most of the remains now to be seen date from the sudden massive rush of building at that time. The city of Aventicum continued to grow and prosper until the late 3rd century, when it was heavily damaged during the invasion of the Alemanni. Though it continued as a civil settlement thereafter, it never regained its strength or wealth and passed from the hands of Rome in 455 AD.

Remains and Visit:

While Augst claims to be the greatest collection of Roman ruins in Switzerland, Avenches certainly does rival it. The quaint medieval walled town with its modern outskirts occupies only a fraction of the Roman city, and most of it remains beneath cultivated or grazed fields. Within the modern town lies the museum (which is cheap and the only site that charges.) The museum stands in a medieval tower built over one end of an impressively preserved amphitheatre. Within the museum you can see the impressive gold bust of Marcus Aurelius that serves as Switzerland's symbol for its Roman past. Down the road from the amphitheatre are the fragmentary remains of two temples, one of which was originally of massive proportions. From here, a path through the fields leads to the sadly neglected low walls of residential buildings, now almost entirely invisible among the long grass, and the covered and well-preserved forum baths. Again from here a long path leads up to the east gate of the city and the best preserved section of city wall. The other great sight here, not far from the built-up area, is the theatre, only a couple of hundred yards from the sanctuary. The remains of the west gate can also be seen, though they are largely buried beneath the modern road. The entire site is well-signed and well-documented and will take at least a half day to do justice to.

Images:

Amphitheatre	Monumental entrance	Marcus Aurelius	Grange des Dimes temple	Cignognier temple
Forum baths	City walls	East gate	Theatre