Transcript Slide 1

A French city – Lyon 1.
Background and Roman Lyon
© Patricia Barry 2008
1. Its importance
• Next to Paris, Lyon is
the biggest and most
important city in
France.
© Patricia Barry 2008
2. Geography
• Lyon is the second
city of France with its
3 million inhabitants.
• The city is located in
the Rhône-Alpes
region, on the
confluence of the
rivers Rhône and
Saône.
© Patricia Barry 2008
3. A World Heritage Site
• UNESCO has made the
city of Lyon a World
Heritage Site because of
its uninterrupted history
over the last 2000 years.
• For the whole of this
time, Lyon has been a
habitable, vibrant and
bustling city.
© Patricia Barry 2008
4. A peninsula
• A confluence is where
two rivers unite as
one.
• Lyon is nearly an
island, or a peninsula.
© Patricia Barry 2008
5. The topography
• The confluence provides
Lyon with a unique
geographic situation
because the two big
rivers are navigable - the
Rhône from the sea.
There is a high hill
(Fourvière) to the West,
and the peninsula
between the two rivers.
© Patricia Barry 2008
6. A cross-roads
• Lyon is a cross-roads for
rail, road, river and air
traffic. It is also a big
industrial and commercial
centre.
• These are good reasons
why Lyon has always
been, and is still today, an
important city.
© Patricia Barry 2008
7. A unique situation
• Its location has allowed the
city to expand from the
West to the East over
twenty centuries – from the
Roman city, to the suburb
of la Fourvière, through Old
Lyon of the Middle Ages,
the 19th century town on
the peninsula, and to the
modern city heart in Part
Dieu.
© Patricia Barry 2008
8. Roman Lyon
• The Romans built their
city of Lugdunum (hill
of light) on the hill in
the West called
nowadays « La
Fourvière ».
• This was the capital of
ancient Gaul. Paris
was just a village!
© Patricia Barry 2008
9. The amphitheatre
• On the summit, they
constructed an
amphitheatre and a
beautiful theatre
(which still exist).
• The photo shows the
amphitheatre which is
in the heart of town.
© Patricia Barry 2008
10. The Roman Theatre
• This is the Roman
theatre in Lyon – if
you go there in
Summer you can go to
plays, concerts and
shows or even an
opera!
© Patricia Barry 2008
11. The Roman city
• These remains of
Roman shops can be
found near the theatre
• There are also villas
and little houses which
have been discovered
during excavations.
© Patricia Barry 2008
12. A model
• In the Gallo-Roman
Museum there is an
excellent model of this
area during the
Roman era, so that
you can appreciate
the size and number
of the buildings.
© Patricia Barry 2008
13. The Gallo-Roman Museum
• Near the theatre, the
Gallo-Roman Museum
has excellent
exhibitions of the
ancient objects found
by the Lyonnais in
their back yards and
under their streets.
© Patricia Barry 2008
14. A treasure
• This chariot belonging
to a Celtic chief was
found nearby
• The Museum has both
temporary and
permanent exhibitions.
© Patricia Barry 2008
15. End of an era
• The Romans pulled out of
Lyon in the 5th century with
the arrival of the Eastern
European tribes.
• Nevertheless, Lyon still
remained a rich city because
of its commercial links.
• On the right, the remains of a
Roman street near the
theatre.
© Patricia Barry 2008
16. La Fourvière
• Nowadays on the
summit of la Fourvière
there is the
Conservatorium and the
modern basilica.
• The basilica is built from
white marble.
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17. The basilica of Notre Dame
• The basilica of Notre
Dame has an
enormous golden
statue of the Virgin
Mary on the tip of its
spire.
• It can be seen from a
very great distance.
© Patricia Barry 2008
18. L’intérieur.
• Inside, everything is
decorated in mosaics
and gold.
• The Basilica is the
second most visited
monument in France
because of its beauty.
© Patricia Barry 2008
End of Part 1.
Go to Part 2 to continue.
Find out how the city
expanded down hill
during the Middle Ages
© Patricia Barry 2008