Editing Ardèche (section)

===Prehistory and ancient history===
Humans have inhabited the area at least since the [[Upper Paleolithic]], as attested by the famous cave paintings at [[Chauvet Cave|Chauvet Pont d'Arc]]. The Ardèche river plateau has extensive standing stones (mainly [[dolmen]]s and some [[menhir]]s), erected thousands of years ago.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2020/12/18/en-ardeche-il-y-a-plus-de-dolmens-qu-en-bretagne_6063802_4497319.html | title=En Ardèche, il y a " plus de dolmens qu'en Bretagne ! " | newspaper=Le Monde.fr | date=18 December 2020 }}</ref> The river has one of Europe's largest canyons, and the caves that dot the cliffs—which go as high as 300 metres (1,000 feet)—are known for signs of prehistoric inhabitants (arrowheads and flint knives are often found).

The Vivarais, as the Ardèche is still called, takes its name and coat of arms from [[Viviers, Ardèche|Viviers]], which was the capital of the [[Gaul]]ish tribe of [[Helvii]], part of [[Gallia Narbonensis]], after the [[Archeological site of Alba-la-Romaine|destruction of their previous capital]] at [[Alba-la-Romaine]]. Saint Andéol, a disciple of [[Polycarp]], is supposed to have evangelized the Vivarais during the reign of Emperor [[Septimius Severus]], and was supposedly [[martyr]]ed in 208. Legend tells of Andéol's burial by Amycia Eucheria Tullia.<ref>
{{cite book
| last       = Du Boys
| first      = Albert
| title         = Album du Vivarais, ou itinéraire historique et descriptif de cette ancienne province
|trans-title=Album of the Vivarais, or historic and descriptive guidebook of this ancient province
| url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=wsYOAAAAQAAJ
| access-date    =3 January 2011
| year      = 1842
| publisher=Prudhomme 
| language  = fr
| page      = 192
| quote         = S'il faut en croire l'antique légende, le corps de l'apôtre [...] fut recueilli par une vierge de l'une des premières familles du Vivarais, ''Anycia'' ou ''Amycia Eucheria Tullia'', fille du sénateur ''Eucherius Valerianus'' [...] Sainte Amycie fit creuser dans le roc un oratoire, ou elle déposa les restes de Saint Andeol
}}
</ref> In 430, Auxonius transferred the see to Viviers as a result of the problems suffered at its previous site in Alba Augusta.