Editing Lugdunum (section)

==Attention from the emperors==
[[File:Lyon 5 - Théâtre antique de Fourvière 01.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Theatre of Fourvière]]]]
In its 1st century, Lugdunum was many times the object of attention or visits by the emperors or the imperial family, with its matrimonial regime of power using killing family members{{clarify|reason=What does this sentence mean?|date=November 2024}}<!--Musée des Beaux-Arts special exhibition 'L'empereur Claude'-->. [[Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa|Agrippa]], [[Nero Claudius Drusus|Drusus]], [[Tiberius]], and [[Germanicus]] (born himself in Lugdunum) were among the gubernatorial generals who served in Lugdunum. Augustus is thought to have visited at least three times between 16 and 8&nbsp;BC. Drusus lived in Lugdunum between 13 and 9&nbsp;BC. In 10&nbsp;BC his son [[Claudius]] (the future emperor) was born there. Tiberius stopped in Lugdunum in 5–4&nbsp;BC, on his way to the Rhine, and again in 21&nbsp;AD, campaigning against the [[Andecavi]]. [[Caligula]] made a longer visit in 39–40, as documented by [[Lives of the Twelve Caesars|Suetonius]]. [[Claudius]] and [[Nero]] also contributed to the city's importance and growth.

In 12&nbsp;BC, Drusus completed an administrative census of the area and dedicated an altar to his stepfather Augustus at the junction of the two rivers. Perhaps to promote a policy of conciliation and integration, all the notable men of the three parts of Gaul were invited. [[Caius Julius Vercondaridubnus]], a member of the [[Aedui]] tribe, was installed as the first [[Glossary of ancient Roman religion#sacerdos|priest]] of the new [[Imperial cult (Ancient Rome)|imperial cult]] sanctuary, which was subsequently known as the Junction Sanctuary or the [[Sanctuary of the Three Gauls]]. The [[altar]], with its distinctive vertical end poles, was engraved with the names of 60 Gallic tribes, and was featured prominently on coins from the Lugdunum mint for many years. The "council of the three Gauls" continued to be held annually for nearly three centuries, even after Gaul was divided into [[Roman province|provinces]].

[[File:Amphiteatre Trois Gaules Lyon.jpg|thumb|[[Amphithéâtre des Trois-Gaules]] in Lyon]]

Southeastern Gaul became increasingly Romanized. By 19&nbsp;AD at least one [[Roman temple|temple]], and the first amphitheatre in Gaul (now known as the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls) had been built down the slopes of the Croix-Rousse hill, next to the Vaise district where Gallic workers worked with precious metals, copper and also glass or pottery on both sides of the Saône lived (the space between Rhone and Saône was a swamp often flooded)
.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Pelletier|first1=Jean|last2=Delfante|first2=Charles|title=Atlas historique du Grand-Lyon|publisher=Editions Xavier Lejeune-Libris|year=2004|page=34-42}}</ref>

In 48&nbsp;AD, emperor Claudius asked the Senate to grant the notable men of the three Gauls the right to accede to the Senate.
His request was granted and an engraved bronze plaque of the speech (the ''Claudian Tables'') was erected in Lugdunum. 
Today, the pieces of the huge plaque are the pride of the [[Gallo-Roman Museum, Lyon|Gallo-Roman Museum]] in Lyon.

Caligula spent time in Lugdunum in 39–40&nbsp;AD, at the beginning of his third [[consul]]ate; the historian Suetonius described the visit as characteristic of this emperor's strange and extravagant reign. Spectacles were staged at the amphitheater to honor and entertain Caligula and his guest, [[Ptolemy of Mauretania|Ptolemy]], king of [[Mauretania]] (whom the emperor later had murdered). A rhetoric contest was held in which the losers were required to expunge their work with their tongues. He auctioned furniture brought from the palace in Rome, assigning prices and purchasers.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}} When Caligula wanted to get rid of [[Herod Antipas]], Jewish [[Herodian tetrarchy|tetrarch]] of [[Galilee]] and [[Perea (region)|Perea]], he sent him to exile in Lugdunum.<ref>{{Citation |last=Henten |first=Jan W. van |title=Herod (2) Antipas |date=2016-03-07 |work=Oxford Classical Dictionary |url=https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3060 |access-date=2024-06-24 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.3060 |isbn=978-0-19-938113-5|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

[[File:Table_Claudienne.jpg|thumb|[[Lyon Tablet|Claudian Tables]] in museum]]
[[Claudius]] was born in Lugdunum in 10&nbsp;BC and lived there for at least two years. As emperor, he returned in 43&nbsp;AD en route to his conquest of [[Britannia|Britain]] and stopped again after its victorious conclusion in 47. A fountain honoring his victory has been uncovered. He continued to take a supportive interest in the town, making its noblemen eligible to serve in the Roman Senate, as described above.

During Claudius' reign, the city's strategic importance was enhanced by the bridging of the Rhône river. Its depth and swampy valley had been an obstacle to travel and communication to the east. The new route, termed the ''compendium'', shortened the route south to
[[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]] and made the roads from Lugdunum to Italy and Germany more direct. By the end of his reign, the city's official name had become Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugudunenisium, abbreviated ''CCC AVG LVG''.

[[Nero]] also took an interest in the city. Citizens of Lugdunum contributed four million [[sesterce]]s to the recovery after the [[Great Fire of Rome]] in 64&nbsp;AD.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Gwyn |title=69 A.D.: The Year of Four Emperors |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford UP |location=Oxford |page=22 |isbn=978-0-19-531589-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hH88DwAAQBAJ&dq=Lugdunum+four+million+sesterces+Great+Fire+of+Rome+in+64+AD.&pg=PA22 |access-date=23 Oct 2022}}</ref> In the same year, the Lugdunum mint was closed and production shifted to Rome.<ref name="Cambridge University Press"/><ref name="Oxford University Press"/> A few years later, Nero contributed four million sesterces to the rebuilding of Lugdunum after a similarly devastating fire. Although the destructiveness of the fire is described in a letter from [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]] to Lucilius,<ref>''Epistulae ad Lucilium'', 91.</ref> archeologists have not been able to uncover a confirmatory layer of ash.

The Lyonnais admiration of Nero was not universally shared; tyranny, extravagance, and negligence fostered resentment, and [[coup d'etat|coups]] were planned. In March 68&nbsp;AD, a Romanized Aquitainian named [[Vindex|Caius Julius Vindex]], who was governor of [[Gallia Lugdunensis]] led an uprising intended to replace Nero with [[Galba]], a Roman governor of [[Hispania|Spain]]. The citizens of [[Vienne, Isère|Vienne]], however, responded more enthusiastically than the Lyonnais, most of whom remained loyal to Nero. A small force from Vienne briefly besieged Lugdunum, but withdrew when Vindex was defeated by the Rhine legions a few weeks later at [[Vesontio]]. Despite the defeat of Vindex, rebellion grew. Nero committed suicide in June and Galba was proclaimed emperor. The loyalty of Lugdunum to Nero was not appreciated by his successor, Galba, who punished some of Nero's supporters by confiscations of property.

In another turnabout for Lugdunum, Galba's policies were immediately unpopular, and in January 69&nbsp;AD, the Rhine legions quickly threw their support to [[Vitellius]] as emperor. They arrived at friendly Lugdunum, where they were persuaded by the Lyonnais to punish nearby Vienne. Vienne quickly laid down weapons and paid a "ransom" to forestall plundering. Meanwhile, Vitellius arrived in Lugdunum, where, according to [[Tacitus]], he formally declared himself [[Imperator]], punished unreliable soldiers, and celebrated with feasts, and with games in the amphitheater. Fortunately for Lugdunum, the would-be emperor and his army hurried into Italy, defeated [[Otho]], and was in turn defeated by [[Vespasian]] and the army of the East, bringing the chaos of the [[Year of the Four Emperors]] to an end. Under [[Vespasian]], the city briefly resumed production of bronze coinage, ending a shortage in the money supply that had developed in the previous years.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carradice |editor1-last=Metcalf |editor1-first=William E. |chapter=The Flavians|title=The Oxford handbook of Greek and Roman coinage |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-530574-6 |pages=376–380}}</ref>

Despite a lack of imperial visits for most of the next century, Lugdunum prospered, until [[Septimius Severus]] and the [[Battle of Lugdunum]] (see below) brought devastation in 197&nbsp;AD.