Provence [antikvár]

The History of Provence The name "Provence" derives from the Latin provincia, meaning "the province," and indicates that even in Antiquity, southeast France was remote from the center of the Empire. Life in this distant spot was better, the soil more productive, and the climate more temperate than in Rome. That, at least, was the opinion of the Roman author, Pliny the Elder, who described the province which lay between the Alps and the Mediterranean as "another Italy" producing oil and wheat in abundance. The earlier Greek colonists probably felt the same way. Even today, the French themselves see Provence as a byword for leisure and relaxation, and as such the diametrical opposite of Paris, the bustling capital. Juxtapositions such as center and periphery, business and leisure, frenzied activity and relaxation, have always ascribed the more agreeable of these qualities to Provence, well before the region became a winter retreat for the English aristocracy in the eighteenth century. These are clichés, of course. It should not be forgotten that Provence was politically independent for a long time and that even today, tourism is far from its only source of income. The rich historical legacy and the diversity of climate and landscape between the Mediterranean and the Alps make Provence one of the most varied and interesting parts of Europe. Prehistory and early history The first traces of Stone Age settlers, found in a cave at Vallonnet (Roquebrunne), date back around 950,000 years and are the earliest evidence of cave dwellers in Europe. The mild climate and the countless caves and caverns in the limestone of the Alps offered prehistoric Man suitable living conditions. Traces have been found of Stone Age hunter-gatherers from as early as the sixth millennium; these people made increasing use of stone to construct their dwellings. The remains of the oldest settlement found in the region so far were discovered near Courthézon in the Département of Vaucluse and date from around 4,650 BC. Bories, primitive drystone dwellings (see illustration on the right and on pp. 164-165, Gordes), were probably also developed at around that time in order to shelter their inhabitants from the weather and protect them from enemies. Metal came into use only around 2,500 BC, but was used mainly for decorative purposes, such as jewelry and small copper artefacts. Weapons at that time continued to be made of stone. Only after bronze had been discovered in around 1800 BC did metal replace flint as the most important material for tools. The Iron Age constituted a period of increased social differentiation. From the sixth century BC onward, the indigenous settlers, called Ligurians