Augusta Raurica

Roman theater in Augusta Raurica.

Augusta Raurica is a large Roman archaeological site in Switzerland. Located about 20 km east of Basel near the village of Kaiseraugst, it is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine.

Augusta Raurica was founded around 44 BCE in the area of a local Gallic tribe, the Rauraci, relatives of the Helvetii. During the first two centuries CE it was a prosperous place and in its glory days the capital of a local Roman province. It might have been populated by twenty thousand people. Alemanni tribes destroyed the city around 260 CE.

During the Middle Ages, many of the stones of the site were recycled for new construction. Archaeological excavations have unearthed temples, taverns, public buildings, a forum, a baths complex and large theatre with 10.000 seats.

The place is a popular tourist destination and includes a museum.

External links

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Augusta Raurica

• Augusta Raurica site

Archaeological Sites in Switzerland

Augusta Raurica · Aventicum · Noviodunum · La Tène · Lousonna · Octodure · Vallis poenina · Vitudurum

Coordinates: 47°32′02″N, 7°43′17″E

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