COLONIA IULIA EQUESTRIS/NOVIODUNUN
A Roman colony on the shores of Lake Geneva

Nyon, a major Roman site on the territory of present-day Switzerland

Around 45 B.C., shortly after the conquest of Gaul, the Romans established the Colonia Iulia Equestris on the shores of Lake Geneva, between the region of Gex, the Jura Mountains and Aubonne. The urban centre of this territory, Noviodunum, was built on the site now occupied by present-day Nyon. Archaeological research regularly takes place on the site when building or civil engineering projects are in progress. It has been possible to conserve the basilica of the forum, which has housed the Roman Museum since 1979, and the amphitheatre, which was discovered in 1996. But most of the remains brought to light are listed and then reburied. Paving stones on the roadway indicate the most important of these.

Territory of the Colonia Iulia Equestris	Archaeological plan of Noviodunum