NEMETACUM
NEMETACUM or
NEMETOCENNA (
Arras), the chief town of the Atrebates, a Belgic people. Caesar (
Caes. Gal. 8.46) spent a winter at Nemetocenna at the close of his Gallic campaigns.
In the inscription of
Tongern there is a route from Castellum (
Cassel) to Nemetacum, which is the same place as Nemetocenna.
The distance from
Cassel through
Béthune to
Arras is 43 M. P.
The distance according to the Antonine Itin. from
Cassel through Minariacum [
MINARIACUM] is 55 M. P.
There is also a route from Taruenna (
Thérouenne) of 33 M. P. to Nemetacum.
There is no place where these roads can meet except
Arras. In the Greek texts of Ptolemy (
2.9.7) the capital of the Atrebates is Origiacum (
Ὀριγίακον); but it is said that the Palatine MS. has Metacon, and all the early editions of Ptolemy have Metacum.
It seems possible, then, that Ptolemy's Metacum represents Nemetacum. But Ptolemy incorrectly places the Atrebates on the
Seine; he also places part of their territory on the sea-coast, which may be true. Origiacum is supposed to be
Orchies, between
Tournai and
Douai. The town Nemetacum afterwards took the name of the people Atrebates or Atrebatii, and the name was finally corrupted into
Arras. [
ATREBATES]
The traces of the Roman roads from
Arras to
Thérouenne and to
Cambrai are said to exist.
It is also said that some remains of a temple of Jupiter have been discovered at
Arras, on the
Place du Cloítre; and that there was a temple of Isis on the site of the
Hôtel-Dieu. (D'Anville,
Notice, &c. Walckenaer,
Géog. &c. vol. i. p. 431.)
[
G.L]
