NASIUM
Naix-aux-Forges and Saint-Amand-sur-Ornain, Meuse, France.
A large center, no doubt the richest of the civitas Leucorum. It is mentioned by Ptolemy (2.9.12) and also by the
Antonine Itinerary;
it appears on the
Peutinger Table (Nasio). Nasium is
situated on the course of the Ornain, at the foot of the
prehistoric oppidum of Boviolles, at the crossroads of
two large roads, one coming from Andematunnum
(Langres), the other going from Durocortorum (Reims)
to Tullum (Toul).
During the course of the 19th c. excavations were carried out on the site of the ancient town. They brought to
light the foundations of many public buildings, houses,
and villas, some of which were decorated with marble
and wall paintings. There were mosaics, one of which,
depicting the rape of Europa, was almost immediately
destroyed, only a drawing surviving. There were also
public baths, a system of water channels, and a smithy.
Today there is no trace in situ of these discoveries. The
excavations at least established that the Gallo-Roman
town had been mostly destroyed during the invasions of
the 3d c. Most of the sculptures, the inscriptions, and the
more valuable objects discovered during the course of
these investigations and afterward, as a result of various
public works projects, were taken to the Bar-le-Duc
museum. These included fragments of architecture and
ornamental sculpture (capitals, cornices, friezzs), funerary stelae, and above all a statue depicting a “mother
goddess” (height: 1.57 m) sitting in a backed chair, with
fruit in her lap and accompanied by two other women
and a dog.
Other ancient remains from Nasium are kept at the
museums at Metz (a votive altar dedicated to Epona and
the tutelary spirit of the Leuci), Verdun (stelae and inscriptions), and Nancy (a bronze domestic altar adorned
with an owl, a bust of Hygeia, and a tutelary spirit, all
likewise in bronze; a monumental letter R, apparently
belonging to a metal inscription; etc.). The site also produced two very rich hoards of coins: one of 300 aurei
was dispersed; the other contained gold jewelry, including a necklace adorned with a cameo of Julia Domna,
as well as Severan aurei, and is preserved at the Cabinet
des Médailles of the Bibliothèque Nationale. Of the innumerable small finds (statuettes, pottery, cameos, and
intaglios, gold and bronze rings, coins), some were kept
in museums, mostly at Bar-le-Duc, but the great majority
were sold to private collectors.
Since 1967 new archaeological investigations have been
conducted on the Mazeroy plateau overlooking the ancient town. They have resulted in the discovery of a large,
square (24 m to a side), raised monument, probably a
temple. It must have been very carefully built and
adorned to judge from the architectural and decorative
fragments which have been collected: marble slaps and
moldings, sculptured fragments apparently belonging to
a decorative frieze, especially pieces depicting small human figures, animals (birds, rabbits, a bull) among twining vegetal motifs. A portico extended around the building; its walls have been found as well as the bases of the
colonnade. Further exploration of this edifice is now in
progress.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cl-F. Denis,
Essai archéologique sur
Nasium (1818); F. Liénard,
Archéologie de la Meuse
(1881) I 9-36
MPI; L. M. Werly, “Note sur diverses
antiquités récemment découvertes à Naix,”
Bull. arch. du Comité des travaux historiques (1885); M. Toussaint, “Le long de l'Ornain: Naix-aux-Forges et son passé gallo-romain” in
Pays Lorrain (1937) 106-24
I; id., Répertoire archéologique Meuse (1946) 13-40; R. Billoret in
Gallia 26 (1968); 28 (1970); 30 (1972).
R. BILLORET
