||| BOATMEN ON SEQUANA RIVER
............ POWERFUL MERCHANTS ON THE ANCIENT SEINE

Powerful corporation of boatmen of the Seine, the Nautes traded on the river. With the aid of archaeological discoveries and historical troops, we present some aspects of their life, their profession and their actions as builders.

The nautes, an ancient corporation of traders who prospered on the rivers of Europe thanks to large ships loaded with goods. Recent archaeological discoveries make it possible to reconstitute their boats. In Lutece, the boatmen had a large port, recently discovered. The wealth of nautes participated in the prestige of the cities adorned with sumptuous buildings of relaxation and shows.

On one side of the pillar, inscriptions mention "nautes" and the financing of the monument by a common fund. Who are these powerful men? While descending in the Archaeological Crypt of Paris (Ile de la Cité), we find traces of the ancient ancient port of Lutetia.

In Gaul, this corporation of navigators-merchants was very prosperous because of the importance of the rivers (Rhône, Loire, Seine, ...). In Arles, the recent release of the remains of a river barge has also revealed many everyday objects of sailors. At the museum of ancient Arles, we discover by a model the organization of these ancient fluvial cities.

In Europe, the Roman Empire will bring a "Pax Romana" conducive to the development of trade. Goods from distant provinces can be sold on all rivers. On the Rhine at Mainz, archaeological discoveries have made it possible to better understand the organization of the fluvial trade.

From the remains of the port of Lutetia located today in the archaeological crypt in front of Notre Dame to the archaeological reserves through the thermal baths of Cluny, we can discover traces of the Nautes and monuments of their city.

The bridge leading to the island of the city and the port of Lutetia

3D model of a Gallo-Roman barge

(model developed by the association Ambianis)