Editing Arles (section)

==History==

===Ancient era===
[[File:Arènes d'Arles 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Arles Amphitheatre]], a Roman arena]]
[[File:Passageway in Roman arena.JPG|thumb|upright|Passageway in the Amphitheatre]]
The [[Ligures|Ligurians]] were in this area from about 800 BC. Later [[Celts|Celtic]] influences have also been discovered. The city became an important [[Phoenicia]]n trading port, before it was taken over by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]].

The Romans took the town in 123 BC and expanded it into an important city. They built a canal link to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] in 104 BC. Arles had to compete with [[Marseille|Massalia]] (Marseille) further along the coast.

Arles' leaders sided with [[Julius Caesar]] against [[Pompey]], providing military support. Massalia backed Pompey; when Caesar emerged victorious, Massalia was stripped of its possessions, which were transferred to Arelate as a reward. The town was formally established as a colony for veterans of the [[Roman legion]] [[Legio VI Ferrata|Legio VI ''Ferrata'']], which had its base there. Its full title as a colony was ''Colonia Iulia Paterna Arelatensium Sextanorum'', "the ancestral Julian colony of Arles of the soldiers of the Sixth."

Arelate was a city of considerable importance in the province of [[Gallia Narbonensis]]. It covered an area of some {{convert|40|ha}} and possessed a number of monuments, including [[Arles Amphitheatre|an amphitheatre]], [[triumphal arch]], [[Roman circus#row-Arelate|Roman circus]], [[Roman theatre (structure)|theatre]], and a full circuit of walls. Ancient Arles was closer to the sea than it is now and served as a major port. The river has carried centuries of silt that has filled in the former harbor. The city had (and still has) the southernmost bridge on the Rhône.

The recently discovered republican House of the Harpist is an exceptional example of ancient architecture and interior decoration. Dating from 70-50 BC, it has yielded elaborate frescoes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/03/its-exactly-like-a-puzzle-experts-on-piecing-together-roman-fresco-find|title='It's exactly like a puzzle': experts on piecing together Roman fresco find|date=3 September 2021|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

The Roman bridge was unique in that it was not fixed but consisted of a pontoon-style [[bridge of boats]], with towers and drawbridges at each end. The boats were secured in place by anchors and were tethered to twin towers built just upstream of the bridge. This unusual design was a way of coping with the river's frequent violent floods, which would have made short work of a conventional bridge. Nothing remains of the Roman bridge, which has been replaced by a more modern bridge near the same spot.

The city reached a peak of influence during the 4th and 5th centuries, when [[Roman Emperor]]s frequently used it as their headquarters during military campaigns in Europe. In 395, it became the seat of the [[Praetor]]ian Prefecture of the [[Gaul]]s, governing the western part of the Western Empire: Gaul proper plus [[Hispania]] (Spain) and [[Armorica]] ([[Brittany]]). At that time, the city was home to an estimated 75,000&ndash;100,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/1166147 |title = "The Fall and Decline of the Roman Urban Mind" |last1 = Fischer |first1 = Svante |last2 = Victor |first2 = Helena}}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=nyQVAgAAQBAJ |page=78 |title=Rick Steves's Provence & the French Riviera }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=ZmA18QOiBUUC |page=1173 |title=Nelson's Dictionary of Christianity: The Authoritative Resource on the Christian World }}</ref><ref>{{Google books |id=wZqSDRP6vuoC |page=81 |title=Provence }}</ref>

It became a favorite city of Emperor [[Constantine I]], who built [[Thermae|baths]] there, substantial remains of which are still standing. His son, [[Constantine II of the Roman Empire|Constantine II]], was born in Arles. [[Roman usurper|Usurper]] [[Constantine III (usurper)|Constantine III]] declared himself emperor in the West (407–411) and made Arles his capital in 408.

Arles became renowned as a cultural and religious centre during the late Roman Empire. It was the birthplace of [[Favorinus]], known as the sceptical philosopher. It was also a key location for Roman Christianity and an important base for the [[Christianization]] of Gaul. The [[Ancient Diocese of Arles|city's bishopric]] was held by a series of outstanding clerics, beginning with [[Saint Trophimus]] around 225 and continuing with Saint [[Honoratus]], then Saint [[Hilary of Arles|Hilarius]] in the first half of the 5th century. The political tension between the Catholic bishops of Arles and the [[Visigoths|Visigothic]] kings is epitomized in the career of the Frankish St. [[Caesarius of Arles|Caesarius, bishop of Arles]] 503–542. Suspected by the [[Arianism|Arian]] Visigoth [[Alaric II]] of conspiring with the [[Burgundians]] to turn over the Arelate to Burgundy, he was exiled for a year to Bordeaux in Aquitaine. Political tensions were evident again in 512, when Arles held out against [[Theodoric the Great]]. Caesarius was imprisoned and sent to [[Ravenna]] to explain his actions before the [[Ostrogoths|Ostrogothic]] king.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict/biodict/Page_Index.html |title=Christian Classics Ethereal Library |website=ccel.org |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>

The friction between the Arian Christianity of the [[Visigoths]] and the Catholicism of the bishops sent out from Rome established deep roots for religious [[heterodoxy]], even [[heresy]], in [[Occitania|Occitan]] culture. At [[Treves]] in 385, [[Priscillian]] achieved the distinction of becoming the first Christian executed for [[heresy]] ([[Manichaean]] in his case, see also [[Cathar]]s, [[Camisards]]). Despite this tension and the city's decline in the face of [[barbarian]] invasions, Arles remained a great religious centre. It hosted church councils (see [[Council of Arles]]), the rival of [[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]], for hundreds of years.

===Roman aqueduct and mill===
[[File:Aqueduc Romain près de Fontvieille 2.JPG|thumb|Aqueduct of Arles at Barbegal]]
The [[Barbegal aqueduct and mill]] is a [[List of Roman watermills|Roman watermill]] complex located on the territory of the commune of [[Fontvieille, Bouches-du-Rhône|Fontvieille]], a few kilometres from Arles. The complex has been referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the [[ancient world]]".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Kevin |last=Greene |title=Technological Innovation and Economic Progress in the Ancient World: M.I. Finley Re-Considered |journal=The Economic History Review |series=New Series |volume=53 |issue=1 |year=2000 |pages=29–59 [p. 39] |doi=10.1111/1468-0289.00151 |hdl=10.1111/1468-0289.00151 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The remains of the mill streams and buildings which housed the overshot [[water wheel]]s are still visible at the site, and it is by far the best-preserved of ancient mills. There are two aqueducts which join just north of the mill complex, and a sluice which enabled the operators to control the water supply to the complex. The mill consisted of 16 water wheels in two separate rows built into a steep hillside. There are substantial masonry remains of the water channels and foundations of the individual mills, together with a staircase rising up the hill upon which the mills are built. The mills apparently operated from the end of the 1st century until about the end of the 3rd century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice_histoire&id=95 |title=Ville d'Histoire et de Patrimoine |publisher=Patrimoine.ville-arles.fr |access-date=2013-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206194648/http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice_histoire&id=95 |archive-date=2013-12-06 }}</ref> The capacity of the mills has been estimated at 4.5 tons of [[flour]] per day, sufficient to supply enough bread for 12,000 of the 30,000–40,000 inhabitants of Arelate at that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etab.ac-caen.fr/lescourtils/provence/barbegal.htm |title=La meunerie de Barbegal |publisher=Etab.ac-caen.fr |access-date=2013-03-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117123744/http://www.etab.ac-caen.fr/lescourtils/provence/barbegal.htm |archive-date=2007-01-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A similar mill complex existed also on the [[Janiculum]] in [[Rome]]. Examination of the [[mill leat]] still just visible on one side of the hill shows a substantial accretion of lime in the channel, tending to confirm its long working life.

It is thought that the wheels were overshot water wheels with the outflow from the top driving the next one down and so on, to the base of the hill. Vertical water mills were well known to the Romans, being described by [[Vitruvius]] in his ''[[De Architectura]]'' of 25 BC, and mentioned by [[Pliny the Elder]] in his [[Naturalis Historia|Natural History]] of 77 AD. There are also later references to floating water mills from [[Byzantium]] and to [[sawmill]]s on the river [[Moselle]] by the poet [[Ausonius]]. The use of multiple stacked sequences of [[reverse overshot water wheel]]s was widespread in Roman mines.

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Arles Kreuzgang B220798.JPG|thumb|[[Church of St. Trophime]] and its cloister]]
In 735, after raiding the Lower Rhône, [[Al-Andalus|Andalusian]] [[Saracen]]s led by [[Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri]] moved into the stronghold summoned by Count [[Maurontus]], who feared [[Charles Martel]]'s expansionist ambitions, though this may have been an excuse to further Muslim expansion beyond Iberia. The next year, Charles campaigned south to Septimania and Provence, attacking and capturing Arles from the [[Muslim]] [[Arabs]] after destroying Avignon. In 739. Charles definitely drove Maurontus to exile, and brought [[Provence]] to heel. Louis the Pious, in 829, placed Arles under royal protection and assigned it with special privileges.{{sfn|Lewis|1965|p=48}}  In 855, it was made the capital of a Frankish [[Kingdom of Burgundy]], which included [[Burgundy (region)|Burgundy]] and part of Provence, but was frequently terrorised by Saracen and [[Viking]] raiders. In 888, Rudolph, Count of [[Auxerre]] (now in north-western Burgundy), founded the kingdom of [[Bourgogne Transjurane|Transjuran Burgundy]] (literally, beyond the Jura mountains), which included western Switzerland as far as the river Reuss, [[Valais]], [[Geneva]], [[Chablais]] and [[Bugey]].

In 933, [[Hugh of Arles]] ("Hugues de Provence") gave his kingdom up to Rudolph II, who merged the two kingdoms into a new [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles]]. In 1032, King [[Rudolf III of Burgundy|Rudolph III]] died, and the kingdom was inherited by Emperor [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] the Salic. Though his successors counted themselves kings of Arles, few went to be crowned in the cathedral. Most of the kingdom's territory was progressively incorporated into France. During these troubled times, [[Arles Amphitheatre|the amphitheatre]] was converted into a fortress, with watchtowers built at each of the four quadrants and a minuscule [[walled town]] being constructed within. The population was by now only a fraction of what it had been in Roman times, with much of old Arles lying in ruins.

The town regained political and economic prominence in the 12th century, with the Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] traveling there in 1178 for his coronation. In the 12th century, it became a free city governed by an elected ''[[podestat]]'' (chief magistrate; literally "power"), who appointed the [[consuls]] and other magistrates. It retained this status until the [[French Revolution]] of 1789.

Arles joined the countship of Provence in 1239, but, once more, its prominence was eclipsed by Marseilles. In 1378, the Holy Roman Emperor [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] made the [[Dauphin of France]] (later King [[Charles VI of France]]) vicar of the moribund [[Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles]] for his lifetime. The kingdom ceased to have any political existence soon afterwards.

===Modern era===
[[File:Arles Place de la République.jpg|thumb|Place de la République and the [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]]]]
Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. The [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]] was completed in 1676.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|title=Hôtel de Ville d'Arles|publisher=Patrimoine de le ville d'Arles  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126234331/http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|archive-date=26 November 2008}}</ref>

In the 19th century, the establishment of railways diminished river trade, leading to the city declining in prominence. This made it a destination for the painter Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on 21 February 1888. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including ''[[The Night Cafe]]'', the ''[[Bedroom in Arles|Yellow Room]]'', ''[[Starry Night Over the Rhone]]'', and ''[[L'Arlésienne (painting)|L'Arlésienne]]''. [[Paul Gauguin]] visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the ear-severing incident in December 1888 which resulted in two stays in the [[Hospital in Arles (Van Gogh series)|Old Hospital of Arles]]. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889, he voluntarily left Arles for the [[Saint-Paul asylum]] at nearby [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]].

===Jewish history===
{{Main|History of the Jews in Arles}}
Arles had an important and prominent Jewish community between the Roman era and the end of the 15th century. A local legend describes the first Jews in Arles as exiles from [[Judaea]] after [[Jerusalem]] fell to the Romans. Nevertheless, the first documented evidence of Jews in Arles is not before the fifth century, when a distinguished community already existed in the town. Arles was an important Jewish crossroads, as a port city and close to [[Spain]] and the rest of Europe alike. It served a major role in the work of the [[Hachmei Provence]] group of famous Jewish scholars, translators and philosophers, who were most important to Judaism throughout the Middle Ages. In the eighth century, jurisdiction over the Jews of Arles was passed to the local Archbishop, making the Jewish taxes to the clergy somewhat of a shield for the community from mob attacks, most frequent during the [[Crusades]]. The community lived relatively peacefully until the last decade of the 15th century, when they were expelled out of the city never to return. Several Jews did live in the city in the centuries after, though no community was found ever after. Nowadays, Jewish archaeological findings and texts from Arles can be found in the local museum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1784-arles |title=ARLES |website=Jewishencyclopedia.com |access-date=11 June 2022}}</ref>