Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 14, No 3, pp. 83-91 Copyright © 2014 MAA Printed in Greece. All rights reserved. THE 1ST OF AUGUST AT LUGDUNUM: ASTRONOMY AND IMPERIAL CULT IN GALIA A.C. González-García1 and M.V. García Quintela2 1Incipit-CSIC Institute of Heritage Sciences-Spanish National Research Council, Santiago de Compostela, Spain 2Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Corresponding author: A.C. González-García([email protected]) ABSTRACT The longstanding debate about the interpretation of the Concilium Galliarum, celebrated at Lugdunum on Augusts 1st has been traditionally divided among those in favor of a ‘Celtic’ tradition and those advocating for a ‘Roman’ praxis. We advocate, following the works by Audin, that the study of the urban layout may shed light into this controversy. We find that this Roman grid has a remarkable orientation consistent with the orientation towards the rising sun on days close to this festivity. The location of the main sanctuaries of the city, the municipal sanctuary devoted to the imperial cult and the Three Gaul sanc- tuary, situated on both sides of the river, reveals interesting astronomical relations. These could be interpreted as an attempt at the time of the early Empire to include the Augus- tus and Rome cult even in areas with a strong pre-existent tradition, like the Gaul KEYWORDS: Lugdunum. Imperial Cult. Roman City Orientation. Calendars. Celts. 84 GONZÁLEZ-GARCÍA & QUINTELA 1. INTRODUCTION fluence of the two rivers. At the heart of the Caesar was the only Roman ruler to be colony were a number of prominent public deified while he was still alive. However, buildings, like a Theater, an Odeon and a the Imperial Cult was shaped and devel- sanctuary possibly devoted to the Imperial oped during the reign of Augustus and his Cult (see Figure 1). successors. Temples, priests and corpora- 2. IMPERIAL CULT AND ASTRONOMY tions were devoted to him at Rome and It was the same Munatius Plancus who throughout the Empire. His image as a god proposed the title of Augustus ahead of the on earth is frequent in contemporary art. Roman Senate (Suetonius, Aug. VII.2) on 27 The Roman colony of Lugdunum (present BCE. This way, the Senate was already day Lyon, France) was founded by Mu- admitting the supremacy, a ‘divinity’ of the natius Plancus, a lieutenant of Caesar, the ruler (Ittai Gradel 2002). However, after his 43 BC, a year after the assassination of the dead Augustus was deified by the Senate Dictator. Some years later, the 12 BCE, an and became a state god. altar devoted to the cult of Roma and Au- The Emperor was not worshiped as god gustus was erected near the confluence of until he died and was then converted into a the rivers Rhône and Saône (Livy, Per. 139; divine entity, a Divus. In the mean time, he Suetonius, Claud. II, 1). During the whole was worshiped by his numen or genius Roman times, a major festival was celebrat- (Fishwick 1991). The emperor was repre- ed there on August 1st. Called the Concilium sented among the traditional gods, thus Galliarum, it constituted a great assembly linking his image to the divinities. where the representatives of 60 ciuitates There is little evidence about on the ac- from the three provinces in the Gaul gath- tual form of the ceremonies in on the Impe- ered to worship Rome and Augustus (Stra- rial cult in the West. In most cases, a Tem- bo, Geo IV, 3.2). ple was built which usually kept statues of the emperor, perhaps at the colonnaded fore-hall preceding the cella and where the priests in charge carried the State Cult. In any case, the ceremonies took place at par- ticular dates, like, for instance, at the two days when the birthday of Augustus was celebrated (23rd and 24th September), the anniversaries of his victories, or the conse- cration of particular temples and altars (Fishwick 1991). Apart from these general dates, local shrines may have festivals at particular dates, like at Forum Clodii where Figure 1: Scale model of the Roman colony of Lug- the 10th of March the anniversary of the dunum based on pre 1980’s information. The main site was located on top of the Fourvière hill, where dedication of the statues of the Ceasars and the theater, an Odeon and the Municipal Sanctuary of Livia was celebrated. One such local of Imperial cult were located. To the other side of festival, although with a great preeminence the confluence was the area where the Concillium Galliarum took place close to the Roman amphi- in the Gaul, was that celebrated at Lugdu- theater. num dedicated to Rome and Augustus, The precise location of the altar of the according to Suetonius (Claud. II, 1). Three Gaul is unknown, but it was situated Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that on the slopes of a hill in the area of the pre- astrological images were part of the propa- sent neighborhood of Croix-Rousse, near ganda agenda of Augustus, perhaps also the remains of the Roman Amphitheater. reflecting a Hellenistic tradition of using The Roman colony was on the west bank, astronomical images to enhance the ruler at the top of a plateau, overlooking the con- cult (see Ferro & Magli 2012 for the connec- © University of the Aegean, 2014, Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry, 14, 3 (2014) 83-91 THE 1ST OF AUGUST AT LUGDUNUM 85 tion between the orientation of the city grid On the other hand, there are those schol- in Alexandria and astronomy or Belmonte ars who find the importance for such date & González-García 2010 for the use of as- in the biography of Augustus and thus tronomy at the Hierothesion of Antiochus of they tend to include such date for the fes- Commagene). It was used on the occasion tivity into the Roman praxis. of the appearance of the so-called Caesar’s Summarizing the pro and co arguments, comet on 44BCE. Octavianus used such the Celtists highlight the similarity be- appearance to highlight his role as sole heir tween the name of the colony (Lugdunum) of the Divus Iulius (Ramsey & Licht 1997). and the name of the Celtic god Lug, and Astronomical images and relations have the medieval festival of Lugnasad celebrat- also been identified in several monuments ed in Ireland at the dates of the Concilium built at his time, like the Pantheon or the Galliarum. Meanwhile, the Romanists high- Horologium Augusti in Rome (Hannah & light that the evidence about the im- Magli 2009; Rehak 2006). portance of that month for Augustus is According to Suetonius (Aug XCIV, 12), clear, but not so much about the first days Augustus published his Horoscope, drawn of the month. by Theogenes the astrologer, where he was The name Lugdunum is present from the under the sign of Capricorn, a notice con- beginning of the colonial period as it is firmed by Dio Cassius (LVI.25.5). It has attested by the presence of coins minted on been amply debated why, if he was born 43-42 BCE with the legend LVGV/DVNI. on the 9th before the Kalends of October, 63 The Gaulish name appears in the official BCE, this means nearly at Autumn Equi- name from the times of Claudius. nox, with the sun in Libra at this date, he The meaning of the name Lugdunum had Capricorn (the sign which hosted the (and its variations) has also been amply sun in winter solstice at the time) as his debated along the same arguments as be- sign (see e.g. Barton 1995). fore. The name can be easily divided in As part of his propaganda, a large num- ‘lug’+’dunum’. The Gaulish term –dunon is a ber of coins were struck with such sign in common name in European toponyms, its revers at the time of Augustus and his possibly indicating a height and also per- successors. Some of them were minted in haps a fortress. It is in the name lugu- Lugdunum as well. The Capricorn sign ap- where the controversy arises. There are peared in architectural decorations, in those who propose a link with the Celtic gems (such as the Gemma Augustea) and god Lug, but others propose a link with glass pastes (Galinsky 2012). It has also Mons Lucidus, thus the name of the city been recently claimed that the orientation would be similar to present day toponyms of the Cardus of Augusta Salassorum (pre- in France, such as Montclair or Clermont. sent day Aosta) could be connected to the This controversy about the name and its rising of Capricorn at the time of founda- significance continues until our days. It tion (Bertarione and Magli 2014). must be stressed though that the name of the city could be connected with both 3. GAULISH VS. ROMAN TRADITIONS meanings, that of the Celtic deity which The interpretation of the cultural sense of could also mean ‘light’, ‘clarity’ (see García st August 1 for the Concillium is the subject Quintela and González-García 2014 for a for a longstanding debate that lasts for recent review with bibliography on these more than a century and opposes two well- issues). defined historiographical positions. On the one hand there are scholars who 4. THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT propose that August 1st originates in a Celt- LUGDUNUM ic or Gaulish tradition, latter inserted in the The last two decades have witnessed a Roman life of the colony of Lugdunum and great boost in our knowledge about the also through the Imperial Cult. early times of the Roman colony and about © University of the Aegean, 2014, Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry, 14, 3 (2014) 83-91 86 GONZÁLEZ-GARCÍA & QUINTELA the pre-Roman times, thanks to several tions, probably to adapt the street grid to archaeological excavations throughout the the local topography of the slopes of the city and the new interpretations of the re- hill.