Novioregum


Novioregum was a Gallo-Roman vicus within the Civitas Santonum, the administrative territory of the Santon people. The settlement reached its peak in the 2nd century AD but was abandoned by the 4th or 5th century, leaving its precise location uncertain for centuries. Archaeological evidence now strongly suggests that Novioregum corresponds to the site of Le Fâ in Barzan, Charente-Maritime, France.

Uncertain location

The Antonine Itinerary, a Roman road guide from Bordeaux to Autun, places Novioregum along the route. It lists Blaye at 18 Roman miles from Bordeaux, Tamnum at 16 Roman miles from Blaye, Novioregum at 12 Roman miles from Tamnum, and Saintes at 15 Roman miles from Novioregum.
Novioregum may also correspond to the Portus Santonum, the port of the Santones, near the Promontorium Santonum described by Ptolemy. This port likely served as a landing point for deep-sea vessels and a hub for trade with Greek Marseille via the Garonne River, possibly along a tin trade route from Great Britain.
The Peutinger Table, a medieval copy of a Roman map, omits Novioregum between Lamnu and Mediolanum Santonum, possibly due to the site’s abandonment by the time the map was revised.
For centuries, the exact location of Novioregum remained elusive. Some scholars proposed Royan due to the apparent similarity between its name and regum. Others, including local scholar Léon Massiou, suggested the Arvert Peninsula.

Historical hypotheses for Novioregum’s location

  • Royan: Proposed by French geographer Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville.
  • Sablonceaux, Terrier de Toulon: Suggested by De la Sauvagère and Fleury in 1770.
  • Arvert Peninsula: Advocated by Léon Massiou in 1912.
  • Gallo-Roman site of Barzan: Proposed by Auguste Lacurie in 1844 and supported by Jacques Dassié in 1975.
As early as 1844, local scholar Abbé Auguste Lacurie hypothesized that the ruins at Barzan were those of Novioregum. This theory gained prominence after aerial surveys conducted by Jacques Dassié in 1975. Dassié argued that the distances in the Antonine Itinerary were based on the Gaulish league rather than the Roman mile. This recalibration places Tamnum at Consac and Novioregum at the Gallo-Roman site of Barzan, located between Barzan, Talmont-sur-Gironde, and Arces-sur-Gironde.

Rediscovery of Novioregum

Although ancient ruins at Barzan were noted as early as the 17th century by royal engineer Claude Masse, their significance was initially underestimated. In 1844, Abbé Auguste Lacurie, secretary of the Archaeological Society of Saintes, proposed that these ruins were Novioregum. This hypothesis faced skepticism, notably from Léon Massiou in 1924.
Subsequent excavations uncovered a temple, theatre, aqueduct, and expanded therms, confirming the site’s importance. Jacques Dassié’s 1975 aerial surveys revealed the site’s vast extent, covering nearly 140 hectares. Dassié noted: "The identification of Barzan with this site seems the most probable. Full validation awaits future epigraphic discoveries from excavations or surveys."

Roman roads around Novioregum

According to Jacques Dassié, Novioregum’s port at Barzan was connected to the Roman road network:
Excavations by the ASSA Barzan association, ongoing since 1994, have revealed a port city founded by the Celtic Santones and expanded during the first two centuries AD, likely as a commercial hub or emporium. Significant construction began under the Flavians, evidenced by Corinthian capitals and statue fragments. The city flourished in the 2nd century under the Antonins, boasting:
  • A theatre,
  • A port,
  • Warehouses,
  • Temples,
  • Expanded therms,
  • Broad avenues.
Listed in the Antonine Itinerary, the city was abandoned by the 5th century, likely due to the silting of its port, a common issue in the region.

Historical sources

  • Ptolemy, Geography
  • Strabo, Geography, Book IV, 11
  • Antonine Itinerary, from Burdigala to Augustodunum
  • Peutinger Table, Pars I, Hofbibliothek, Vienna
  • Jacques Dassié, 1975.