History History

It is only at the end of the Neolithic period (Chassean period), that man seems to settle near the pond. Probably fishermen, the Chasseans may have occupied the banks of the pond only temporarily.

In the Chalcolithic (Copper Age), new traces of human presence were found in Mèze and Balaruc-le-Vieux (carved flints, ceramics).

But it is especially at the end of the Bronze Age (- 1000 years BC), that the settlement is clearly manifested: several traces of hearths, currently located under two meters of water in the pond, have been found (Marseillan, Balaruc-le-Vieux,...). A riparian habitat exists at that time. The level of the pond at two meters below the current level, testifies to a still cold climate.

The Iron Age saw a further increase in human presence. Certain sites were developed and became settlement points. As such, they played an important role well into the Middle Ages (Balaruc-le-Vieux, Mèze). Etruscan amphorae (600 BC) and coins from Syracuse (250 BC) indicate the existence of a flourishing trade.

The Gallo-Roman period (100 BC to 300 AD) is the most impressive historical and demographic phenomenon. The founding of towns (Le Barrou, Balaruc) and the construction of roads and aqueducts demonstrate the prosperity of the coastline during this period.
Fishing, particularly for oysters, which the Gallo-Romans consumed in large quantities and traded in, and the spa industry (which began in the 50s AD), made the Etang de Thau an important economic and social center. Even at the end of the ^3rd century and during the ^4th and^5th centuries, the great economic, political, financial and social crisis of the Gallo-Roman world seems to have been less felt on the shores of the lake, whose exploitation may even have been an element of new (but brief) prosperity during these periods of destabilization.

The via Domitia

The Domitian Way was created in 118 BC at the instigation of the Roman general Cneus Domitius Ahenobarbus, whose name it bears. This road was to ensure communications with Rome and to allow the installation and the circulation of garrisons protecting the cities which became Roman. The first Roman colony in the south of Gaul was Narbo Martius (Narbonne).

The first road built by the Romans in Gaul, it crossed the Alps at the Montgenèvre pass (1,850 m), followed the Durance valley, skirted the Luberon to the north, crossed the Rhone at Beaucaire, passed through Nîmes (Nemausus) and followed the coast of the Gulf of Lion as far as Spain, linking the main Gallic cities of the time along the way. It thus bypasses the territory of Massalia, an independent Greek city until 48 BC (which became Massilia in Latin).

Although intended for the circulation of the Roman legions, merchants quickly used this route. Later, it was used by the officials of the Republic and then of the Empire (imperial post or cursus publicus). The construction of this road was beneficial to the local economy thanks to the exchanges that it allowed between the cities.

The route of the Via Domitia is known to us rather precisely by several sources: the goblets of Vicarello, the Table of Peutinger and the Itinerary of Antonin (the least reliable source). It is built in an almost rectilinear way on solid ground. The observation of the topographic maps shows very often the route that it took. Modern roads still often follow the route of the Via Domitia (N85 - N100 - A9...)

In the towns it passes through, it is paved or paved, but most of the time it is a dirt road on stratified layers of gravel and pebbles.

Every mile (1 mile = 1,481 meters) was installed a milestone (which corresponds more to our current signposts) indicating the distances between the milestone and neighboring towns. On the route of the Via Domitia, more than 90 such milestones have been identified.

Located south of the Via Domitia, in the commune of Loupian, this archaeological site reveals the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa.
The excavations of the site occupy three hectares south of the village. They revealed the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa, very rich in mosaics. The site was occupied for more than 600 years.
The original farm quickly prospered and expanded.
During the High Empire, in the ^1st and ^2nd centuries, the villa became a large patrician residence with baths. The main agricultural activity was viticulture, for which a winery was built, capable of holding 1,500 hectoliters of wine stored in large jars (dolia), found on site. A small port was also built at this time, north of the Thau basin, for the export of wine. A potters' workshop was also found for the manufacture of amphorae for the transport of this wine. These amphorae are stamped "M A F" 1.
In the^5th century, the villa was completely rebuilt and transformed into a sumptuous residence whose floor is covered with mosaics.
A few hundred meters from the villa, there is an early Christian church with a baptismal font. This church was located in the immediate vicinity of the current church of St. Cecilia.

It is not until the end of the Middle Ages that the Archipelago of Thau and Sète will again be mentioned in official writings. Until about 1600, the territory remained a group of small peasant communities living essentially from the cultivation of vines and Sète a small fishing village among many others.
It was not until 1596 that Henri de Montmorency, then governor of Languedoc, decided to make Cette (as it was spelled at the time) into a port, entrusting the work to Jean Donnat, all coordinated by Pierre d'Augier, provost general of Languedoc. Due to lack of funds, the work was interrupted in 1605.

Under Louis XIV and on the initiative of his minister Colbert, the first riprap of the jetty and the digging of the beach to connect the sea and the pond began on July 29, 1666.
The first stones were laid to build the Mole which was enlarged and extended in the 18th century^. The populations of the neighboring villages : Bouzigues, Mèze, Frontignan and Marseillan came to work in Sète. Little by little, life was organized for the first necessities, with the creation of various businesses. The city was truly born.
This historic day of July 29, 1666 was also dedicated to the first jousting tournament in Sète.
Since that day, the Feast of Saint Louis and its jousting tournaments remain a grandiose event.

At dawn on July 25, 1710, the people of Sète saw an English fleet preparing to attack the city. Panic-stricken, the population fled across the Etang de Thau. The city of Sète was thus English for a few hours, until the arrival of the Duke of Noailles and his troops.
On the beach, he engaged in battle and won, driving out the English. This attack revealed a flaw in the defensive system of this new port. Immediately, several fortifications were built. First of all, the armament of Fort Saint-Louis was doubled. On the cliff, along the sea, the battery from the cemetery to Fort Saint-Pierre (the present sea theater) was built.

Over the course of its history, the Thau Archipelago has undergone numerous transformations. In the course of the ^19th century, waves of migration, mainly Italian, enriched the region, notably with the arrival of fishermen from Cetara (province of Salerno). These massive arrivals helped to shape the town's economy, gastronomy and folklore. During this period, the town of Sète grew steadily, concentrating on port activities. This century saw the development of the commercial port, with wine, sulfur, wood, cereals and iron as the main trades. Between 1882 and 1888, the town carried out major works in the port. But this was only the beginning of the work on the Île Singulière. The island that officially became "Sète" in 1928 - after having been called "Cette", "Sette" or "Cept" under the Ancien Régime - never ceased to adapt to the growth of its activity. In 1947, the Saint-Louis mole lighthouse was installed. In the years that followed, trawling developed, and the fishing port was set up near the fish auction in the historic center. In the 1980s, the port underwent further development to adapt it to cargo transfers and cruise ship tourism. These developments led to a number of adjustments, and in 1994 the town created a nautical stopover for barges opposite the railway station, which is now used by pleasure boats.