Lugdunum, Roman Lyon

About Lugdunum

Lugdunum was a Roman city founded in 43 BC by the general Lucius Munatius Plancus on the site of a Gallic settlement. In Gaulish the name means 'hill of the god Lugus'. It stood on the Fourvière heights above the meeting of the Rhône and Saône and became capital of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis, one of the leading cities of the western empire.

Two Roman emperors were born here, Claudius and Caracalla. In the 2nd century Lugdunum had, by various estimates, 50,000 to 100,000 people. Today theatres and fragments of buildings remain on the hill, with the finds gathered in a museum next door.

What to see

• The great theatre — tiers for 10,000 spectators.
• The odeon — a small roofed theatre for music and readings.
• The circus mosaic — chariots racing round the arena.
• The Lyon Tablet — Emperor Claudius's speech in bronze.
• The Neptune statue — France's largest bronze of the god.
• Scale models — how the Roman city looked.

The Roman theatres

The great theatre was built around 15 BC, 90 metres across, and enlarged in the 2nd century to 108 metres, when it held up to 10,000 spectators. Its semicircular tiers are cut into the hillside, and from the top you look out over Lyon's rooftops.

Beside it stands the odeon, a smaller theatre for music and speeches, which keeps a mosaic floor of coloured marble. Both theatres are part of the UNESCO Historic Site of Lyon, and you can wander through them freely.

The Lugdunum museum

The museum of Gallo-Roman civilisation opened in 1975 right beside the theatres and has been called Lugdunum since 2017. Inside, a long spiral ramp links the galleries as you descend, with windows looking onto the theatres.

Its treasures include a large chariot-race mosaic, one of the few ancient images of a circus, the Lyon Tablet with a speech by Emperor Claudius, the Gallic Coligny calendar, a silver cup decorated with Gallic gods, marble sarcophagi and a 2nd-century bronze statue of Neptune. Models show how the city, theatre and odeon looked.

Roman Lyon today

The Roman city didn't vanish; it lies beneath modern Lyon. Remains turn up during building work on Fourvière, in Croix-Rousse, where the Sanctuary of the Three Gauls stood, and on the peninsula. Later the inhabitants moved down to the Saône, and medieval Vieux-Lyon was born.

To see another Roman town in the region, head to Vienne, 35 kilometres south, with its temple, theatre and circus pyramid.

Tips for your visit

Allow an hour and a half to two hours for the theatres and museum. A good order: funicular to the theatres, the museum, then a 5-minute walk to the basilica and down into Vieux-Lyon.

Lugdunum joins up naturally with Fourvière Basilica and Vieux-Lyon, all on the same hill. Lovers of antiquity should add Vienne.

The theatre tiers are steep and unrailed, so hold small children's hands. The museum works with a pushchair, with ramps and a lift. Museum entry is often included in the Lyon City Card.

Nearby and on the way

45

Fourvière Basilica

Lyon, France

1 h · Free · 6 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Fourvière Basilica

44

Saint-Jean Cathedral

Lyon, France

40 min · Free · 10 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Saint-Jean Cathedral

39

Vieux-Lyon

Lyon, France

2 h 30 min · Free · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Vieux-Lyon

45

Place Bellecour

Lyon, France

40 min · Free · 17 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Place Bellecour

How to do it right

• The theatres are free.
• Summer: Nuits de Fourvière.
• Museum closed Mondays.
• Funicular to Minimes.

Questions