Fréjus

Sister cities

• Paola
• Dumbéa
• Tabarka
• Fredericksburg
• Bazeilles
• Pieve di Teco
• Triberg im Schwarzwald

History

The origins of Frejus probably lie with the Celto-Ligurian people who settled around the natural harbour of Aegytna. The remains of a defensive wall are still visible on Mont Auriasque and Cap Capelin. The Phocaeans of Marseille later established an outpost on the site. Frejus was strategically situated at an important crossroads formed by the Via Julia Augusta, which ran between Italy and the Rhône, and the Via Domitia. Tacitus called its port claustra maris, gateway to the sea. It is thought that the poet Cornelius Gallus was born there in 67 BC, though there are few traces of a settlement at that time. Julius Caesar, wanting to counter the regional power of Massalia (present-day Marseille), which had sided with Pompeius against him in the civil war, refounded the city as Forum Julii, 'the forum of Julius', as a base of support in the region. The date is unclear but must be before 43 BC, when it appears in the correspondence between Plancus and Cicero. 49 BC is most likely. It was at Forum Julii that Octavius repatriated the galleys taken from Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Between 29 and 27 BC, it became a colony for his veterans of the 8th legion, adding the suffix Octavanorum Colonia. Augustus made the city the capital of the new province of Narbonensis in 22 BC, spurring rapid development and becoming one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean. The port served as the only naval base for the Roman fleet of Gaul and remained operative until the reign of Claudius. It was also only the second port after Ostia until at least the time of Nero. Subsequently during the rule of Tiberius, the major monuments and amenities still visible today were constructed: the amphitheatre, the aqueduct, the lighthouse, the baths, and the theatre. Forum…

Geography

As a backdrop there is the Massif de l'Esterel.