Terminal erection 46 après J.-C. (≈ 100)
Under Claude, fifth Tribune year.
1821
Assumption of Caparon
Assumption of Caparon 1821 (≈ 1821)
Alternative location proposed and then rejected.
1927
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 1927 (≈ 1927)
Official protection by the French State.
Fin du XIXe siècle
Moving to the Baux-de-Provence
Moving to the Baux-de-Provence Fin du XIXe siècle (≈ 1995)
First modern relocation of the monument.
XXe siècle
Transfer to the Museum of Ancient Arles
Transfer to the Museum of Ancient Arles XXe siècle (≈ 2007)
Definitive retention of mileage.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Claude - Roman Emperor (41–54 A.D.)
Sponsor of Mile Terminal.
Fernand Benoit - Historian and archaeologist
Studyed Via Aurelia and this terminal.
Isidore Gilles - Local historian (18th century)
Documented the Roman ways of Bouches-du-Rhône.
Origin and history
The estublon mile terminal, also known as the pillar of Mount Paon or the estate of Estublon, is a Roman vestige discovered in the commune of Fontvieille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône. It bears an inscription dedicated to Emperor Claude, indicating that it was erected in the year 46 AD in his fifth year of Tribunician power. This terminal marked the seventh mile (about 10.4 km) since the passage of the Rhône to Tarascon, along the Via Aurelia, a major route of the Roman Narbonnaise.
The terminal was initially located near the mas de Grille-Roubiac, on the side of Mount Paon, near the ruins of the Romanesque chapel of San Peiré. Although assumptions suggested an origin in the area of Cabaron in the 19th century, this theory was abandoned. Historical literature confirms that it remained close to its original location until the 19th century, before being moved to the Baux-de-Provence, then transferred to the Museum of the Ancient Arles in the 20th century.
Ranked as a historic monument in 1927, this pillar illustrates the Roman road organization in Galle Narbonnaise. His inscription, studied in the Corpus Inscription Latinarum, reveals details of the imperial title and the old network of the period. It also bears witness to local funeral practices, being located near tombs surrounding the old chapel. Its modern displacement aims to preserve this heritage, now accessible to the public in a museum setting.
Research, such as that of Fernand Benoit or Isidore Gilles, highlights his role in understanding the Roman ways between Italy and Spain. The estublon pillar, with its number VII, confirms the accuracy of the ancient measurements and their integration into the Provencal landscape, between Alpilles and Arlesian plain. His study helps to reconstruct historical routes and exchanges in Narbonnaise.
