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Former Roman port à Fréjus dans le Var

Former Roman port

    673 Chemin de la Lanterne d'Auguste
    83600 Fréjus
Property of the municipality; private property; State ownership; property of a public institution of the State

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
12 juillet 1886
Classification of remains
Fin du XVIIIe siècle
Port coverage
1996
Protection extensions
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Remnants of the dock and pier of the former port: classification by decree of 12 July 1886 - Archaeological vestiges, placed La Porte d'Orée (cad. BE 747, 748) : classification by decree of 4 June 1987 - Parcels of land constituting the harbour basin as well as the departure of the channel, the known and to be discovered wharves, the ancient buildings adjoining it and the plots containing them (cad. BE 583 (118 rue Aristide-Briand) , 743 (23 avenue de la Porte-d'Orée) , 744 (23 rue des Moulins) , 745, 746, 916, 947 (rue des Moulins) , 749 (70 rue Aristide-Briand) , 750 (57 rue Aristide-Briand) , 751, 752 (122 avenue Aristide-Briand) , 753 (148 rue Aristide-Briand) , 754 (150 rue Aristide-Briand) , 756 (192 rue Aristide-Briand) , 757 (202 rue Aristide-Briand) , 759 (242 rue Aristide-Briand) , 881, 760, 945 (rue Aristide-Briand) , 763, 764 (lieu dit chemin des Horts) , 880 (174 rue Aristide-Briand) , 917 ( building Mare Pacavi Ville rue Albert-Eina46 , La 944 BI 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 (rue des Moulins) , 8 (171 chemin de la Lanterne d'Auguste) , 15, 691, 692 (lieudit La Lanterne) , 32, 34 (lieudit chemin de la Lanterne d'Auguste) , 687, 690, 689 (lieudit La Lanterne d'Auguste) , 779, 780 (lieudit Le Cougordier) ; BH 441, 642 (448 rue Albert-Einaudi), 750, 1162 (rue Albert-Einaudi), 1083 (lieudit Chemin des Horts), 1161, 908): entry by order of 16 September 1996, as amended by order of 3 December 1996

Key figures

Information non disponible - No character cited The source text does not mention any historical actors

Origin and history

The ancient Roman port of Fréjus, built in the second century during the Gallo-Roman period, was a remarkable engineering work. Placed in a swamp connected to the sea by a canal, it was lined with docks and included harbour infrastructures today partly buried. The Auguste lantern, an iconic tower of the site, is one of the few elements still visible. This port played a key role in the region's commercial and military trade, before being gradually abandoned and filled from the end of the 18th century.

Protected remains include the remains of the wharf, pier, and harbour basin parcels, classified or listed between 1886 and 1996. The site, a mixed property (municipal, state, private), illustrates the strategic importance of Fréjus — then Julii Forum — as a Mediterranean crossroads under the Roman Empire. The successive excavations and protections preserved architectural and archaeological elements, although the precise location of some structures remains approximate (precision estimated at 6/10).

The port was an economic haven for the city, facilitating the transit of goods between Italy and the Gallic provinces. Its decline takes place in a wider context of changes in trade routes and the dizzying coastlines, a phenomenon frequent in the ancient Mediterranean. Today, the site offers a material testimony of the techniques of Roman construction and harbour town planning, although its access and tourist exploitation remain limited by its fragmentary state and its distribution among several owners.

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