- Trophy of Augustus
The Trophy of the Alps or Trophy of Augustus was built by the Roman emperor
Augustus to celebrate his definitive victory over the ancient Celto-Liguria n tribes who populated the region and who had harassed merchants alongRoman roads . Its remains may be seen in the Commune ofLa Turbie (Alpes-Maritimes ), on theGrande Corniche , 6 km fromMonaco , and is the principal tourist attraction for the Commune. There is also a small museum with a scale model of the Trophy.Construction
The stone used to build the monument was originally extracted from the Roman quarry located about 500 meters away. Visitors to that site can still see the traces of sections of carved columns in the stone.
The monument as partially restored by archaeologists at the beginning of the 20th century, is 35 meters high. When built, according to the architect, the base measured 35 meters in length, the first platform 12 meters in height, and the rotunda of 24 columns with its statue of an enthroned Augustus is 49 meters high.
Inscription
One of the stones of the tower, which
Pliny the Elder [Pliny the Elder , "Naturalis Historia", book III, 24.] transcribed, contained the names of the tribes. It reads:· The TRUMPILINI
· The CAMUNNI
· The VENOSTES
· The VENNONETES
· The ISARCI
· The BREUNI
· The GENAUNES
· The FOCUNATES
· The four VINDELICUS nations
· The COSUANETES
· The RUCINATES
· The LICATES
· The CATENATES
· The AMBISONTES
· The RUGUSCI
· The SUANETES
· The CALUCONES
· The BRIXENETES
· The LEPONTI
· The UBERI
· The NANTUATES
· The SEDUNI
· The VARAGRI
· The SALASSI
· The ACITAUONES
· The MEDULLI
· The UCENNI
· The CATURIGES
· The BRIGIANI
· The SOGIONTI
· The BRODIONTI
· The NEMALONI
· The EDENATES
· The VESUBIANI
· The VEAMINI
· The GALLITAE
· The TRIULLATI
· The ECDINI
· The VERGUNNI
· The EGUITURI
· The NEMATURI
· The ORATELLI
· The NERUSI
· The VELAUNI
· The SUETRI.Later life
The monument originally served no military purpose and contained no fortress. Rather, it marked the boundary between Italy and
Gallia Narbonensis , later pushed back to the Var. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, however, the Trophy did become a fortress, with locals building houses around its walls. In 1705, when war broke out betweenSavoy andFrance during theWar of the Spanish Succession ,Louis XIV ordered the destruction of all fortresses in the region, including this one. The partially destroyed Trophy then became a quarry and its stones were used, among other things, to build the nearby church of Saint-Michel.Nearby Roman remains
The area surrounding the Trophy is rich with remnants of the Roman empire such as the famous Roman roads. The Trophy is situated on the
Via Julia Augusta , named after the emperor Augustus, which is a continuation of theVia Aurelia which linked Vintimille toCimiez (Nice ). Various fountains within the territory of the communes of Beausoleil andRoquebrune-Cap-Martin are also said to be Roman.Notes
External links
* [http://www.astoft.co.uk/turbie.htm Trophy of the Alps (site with photos)]
* [http://www.livius.org/a/france/laturbie/laturbie.html Livius.org: La Turbie]
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