Gallia Narbonensis

Gallia Narbonensis, in southeastern France, was thoroughly Romanized during the first centuries bc and ad and integrated with Roman Italy and the Roman Empire. The province got its start as Gallia Transalpina, which was annexed in 121 bc and was governed from the colony of Narbo Martius (Narbonne) along with Massalia (Marseilles), a Greek colony and the only other urban community. Julius Caesar’s arrival in 58 bc began the process of Romanization and the development of Roman urban settlements. Those communities expanded under Augustus, and the province was renamed Narbonensis in 27 bc. By the mid-first century ad, Narbonensis had been so thoroughly Romanized that the Senate considered it an extension of Italy. Narbonensis prospered from its integration within the Roman Mediterranean, as it imported and distributed goods for northern provinces.