AUGUSTONE´METUM
AUGUSTONE´METUM (
Αὐγουστονέμετον), the chief town of the Arverni, which Strabo calls Nemossus (p. 191), and places on the Loire; but he either placed it on the Loire through mistake, or by the Loire he means that branch of the Loire called the Elaver (
Allier).
The name Augustonemetum occurs in Ptolemy and in the Table.
The place was afterwards simply called Arverni (
Amm. Marc. 15.11), though in the passage of Ammianus the people may be meant.
It seems that Pliny (
34,
100.7), when he speaks of the colossal statue of Mercury made “in civitate Galliae Arvernis,” must mean the city and not the territory; and this, as D'Anville observes (
Notice, &c.), is singular, because the practice of giving the name of a people to the chief town of the people did not come in use until after Pliny's time.
Clermont, in the
Auvergne, which represents Augustonemetum, does not bear either the ancient name or the name of the people, but the identity is certain.
An old Latin historian of Pippin, quoted by D'Anville, makes the “urbs Arverna” and “Clarus Mons,” that is
Clermont, identical; and Aimoin also speaks of “Arvernis quae Clarus mons dicitur.”
Clermont Ferrand, the capital of the department of
Puy de Dôme, is on a small stream which flows into the
Allier. [
G.L]
