Everything about Oppidum totally explained
Oppidum (plural
oppida) is a
Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of
ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin
ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the
Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint."
Julius Caesar described the larger
Celtic Iron Age settlements he encountered in
Gaul as
oppida and the term is now used to describe the large pre-Roman towns that existed all across Western and Central Europe. Many oppida grew from
hill forts although by no means did all of them have significant defensive functions. Oppida surrounded by
earthworks are known as
enclosed oppida. The main features of the oppida are the architectural construction of the walls and gates, the spacious layout and commanding view of the surrounding area.
The development of oppida was a milestone in the
urbanisation of the continent as they were the first large settlements north of the
Mediterranean that could genuinely be described as
towns. Caesar pointed out that each
tribe of Gaul would have several oppida but that they were not all of equal importance, perhaps implying some form of
hierarchy.
In conquered lands, the Romans used the
infrastructure of the oppida to administer the empire and many became full Roman towns. This often involved a change of location from the hilltop into the plain.
Examples
- Bibracte (Mont Beuvray), France
- Salon-de-Provence, France
- Oppidum d'Ensérune, France
- Manching, Germany
- Glauberg, Germany
- Alcimoennis, Germany
- Stradonice, Bohemia
- Óbidos, Portugal
- Basel-Münsterhügel, Switzerland
- Mesa de Miranda, Spain
- Traprain Law, Scotland
- Maiden Castle, England
- Verlamion, England
- Nanstallon, Cornwall, England
- Oppidum Atnaticorum/Atuatucorum (Namur), Wallonia, Belgium
- Titelberg, Luxembourg
In the mediaeval
Kingdom of Hungary,
oppidum was the legal Latin term for
market towns
(mezőváros in
Hungarian), which were of lesser status than
free royal towns but more important than villages.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Oppidum'.
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