Olbia (Hyères)
Olbia ( Greek for the lucky one ) was a fortress town and a maritime trade office of the city of Massilia (Marseille) in antiquity . It is located on a small hill on the Gulf of Giens on the Mediterranean coast between Hyères and Carqueiranne and was bought by traders from Phocea in the 4th century BC. . Chr founded. Strabo mentions the city in his geography.
The first colony was a fortified port that was supposed to safely house ships coming from Massilia or Nikaia ( Nice ) in the face of the constant threat from pirates and the Ligurian natives. The defeat of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , who was supported by Massilia, led to the Romanization of the colony, Olbia was in the second half of the 1st century BC. Chr. Arles assigned, but remained a prosperous trading town. Their achievements and prosperity are evident in the thermal baths and the restoration of the port. Olbia did not survive the fall of the Western Roman Empire , the city was abandoned until Cistercian monks took over the place and founded the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de l'Almanarre here in 1223 . The adversities of the 14th century (epidemics, bad harvests, political uncertainty) were the reason that the monks finally gave up the place.
The ruins in Olbia represent a mixture of Greek , Roman and medieval elements in this past . The site has been studied by archaeologists since the 19th century , including the later King Frederick VII of Denmark , Alphonse Denis, Mayor of Hyères and the Lieutenant Colonel Poitevin de Maureillan. Jacques Coupry worked here between 1947 and 1971 and in 1955 obtained the purchase of the ruins by the French state. Since 1999 Olbia has been open to the public again.
literature
- George Long: Olbia . In: William Smith : Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London 1854.
Coordinates: 43 ° 4 ′ 52 ″ N , 6 ° 7 ′ 21 ″ E