Nîmes
Nîmes
Overview
Nîmes is a city in Southern France, found relatively near to the Mediterranean Sea in the Languedoc-Roussillon area, and it is the capital city of the Gard department.
The area in which the current city of Nîmes lies has been occupied from around 4000BCE, later growing into a fortified Celtic settlement by 700BCE before the influence of Rome in the area took over.
Romans first became interested in Nîmes during their construction of the Via Domitia, and eventually Nîmes became a colony of Rome around 28 BCE. It was known as Nemausus in this period, which was the name of the god of the sacred spring of the city. During the period of Roman presence, some of the biggest attractions and landmarks in the city were built, like the Arena, the temples, and the Tour Magne. Roman Nîmes enjoyed great prosperity, and one Roman emperor was even a son of the city.
After the Romans the Visigoths conquered and ruled Nîmes until 725 C.E. when the Umayyads took the city. After this desctruction Nîmes's status was reduced. The next major era for the city was its part in the Carolingian empire, and the settlement of Lombard and Dominican merchants in the area. Relative peace under the Carolingian empire was then disturbed by the Reformation and subsequent religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Protestantism had a relative stronghold in this part of Southern France, hence some of the bloodiest events of the wars occurred in Nîmes and the surrounding areas.
In more modern history, the textile industry of the area thrived in the 18th and 19 centuries after the revolution. The most famous aspect of this textile industry is, of course, denim, a word that, according to a debated theory comes from 'de Nîmes', meaning of or from Nîmes.
