UGERNUM
UGERNUM (
Οὔγερνον), a town of Gallia Narbonensis, on the road from Nemausus through Ugernum and Tarascon to Aquae Sextiae (
Aix). Strabo (
iv. p.178) has described this road.
The genitive VGERNI occurs in an inscription found at
Nimes. Ugernum is represented by
Beaucaire. The Table marks the distance from Nemausus (
Nîmes) to Ugernum xv., which is near the truth.
In the last century the Roman road between Nemausus and Ugernum was discovered with several milestones on it in their original position, and numbered, as it seems, from Nemausus the ancient capital of the district.
These milestones gave the opportunity of ascertaining the length of the Roman mile.
The name of
Beaucaire is a corruption of the age name of Bellum-quadrum. If any trace of the name Ugernum exists, it is in the name of
Gernegue, the lower part of
Tarascon, which is on the opposite site side of the river, for
Beaucaire and
Tarascon stand face to face.
But in order to admit this, we must suppose that
Gernegue represents an island Gernica, which, according to a middle-age document, was between
Beaucaire and
Tareascon, and that by some change in the river the island has become part of the mainland on the east side of the river; and it is said that this fact about the island is certain. (D'Anville,
Notice, &c.; Penny Cyclopaedia, art.
Beaucaire.)
[
G.L]
