Now completely filled in, the ancient port of Fréjus, whose remains have been listed as a historical monument since 1886, is located inland. The entrance to the port was marked by a construction known as the "Lantern of Augustus".
It is in fact a landmark, a point of reference for sailors. This hexagonal building, 10 m high, crowned with a 6-sided pyramid, rests on an older building composed of 2 exedrae (an exedra is a conversation room in a building equipped with seats or benches. It most often follows a semi-circular plan).
Ancient lighthouses are the first maritime signaling lights that appeared with the development of the navy. Attested among the Greeks and the Romans.
The dead reckoning navigation of the ancients is not very precise. Reaching the coast in a sector more or less wide compared to his final destination, the pilot must then complete his route by coastal navigation, he uses natural landmarks and maritime signaling.
The name lantern is not appropriate for this building which cannot be a lighthouse. The name lighthouse comes from the Greek word pharos, which is the name of the island where the lighthouse of Alexandria was located, which has remained a symbol due to its extraordinary architecture.
Lighthouses are used to ensure the safety of sailors, most often crowned by a statue of a deity, dedicated to a savior god. Sailors do not hesitate to entrust their navigation to the deities of the ports, to pray to them in the open sea and to thank them when arriving safely at port.
The lighthouse being a tower at the top of which a fire burns, this implies access by a staircase to reach this summit, which is not the case in Fréjus because the building is full.
The ruins of a Roman lighthouse were discovered on the small islet of Lion de Mer in the bay of Saint-Raphaël. This lighthouse certainly indicated the entrance to the channel of the Roman port of Fréjus.
The construction technique used is the one commonly used in Fréjus, that is to say in small brown sandstone blocks from the Esterel Massif, connected by lime mortar.
The name Augustus certainly comes from the fact that the Roman Emperor Augustus (-63, 14) first Roman Emperor (-27,14), built the port with his general Agrippa, after the victory of Actium in 31 BC.
On this site we also find a tuff construction, which has not revealed all its mysteries, a temple for some or a structure which allowed to pull a chain which closed the entrance to the port, as Vitruvius tells us in his Treatise on Architecture.
There is also a large wall which is attached to the lantern, a crenellated wall protecting the channel.
Ancient lighthouses are the first maritime signaling lights that appeared with the development of the navy. Attested among the Greeks and the Romans.
The dead reckoning navigation of the ancients is not very precise. Reaching the coast in a sector more or less wide compared to his final destination, the pilot must then complete his route by coastal navigation, he uses natural landmarks and maritime signaling.
The name lantern is not appropriate for this building which cannot be a lighthouse. The name lighthouse comes from the Greek word pharos, which is the name of the island where the lighthouse of Alexandria was located, which has remained a symbol due to its extraordinary architecture.
Lighthouses are used to ensure the safety of sailors, most often crowned by a statue of a deity, dedicated to a savior god. Sailors do not hesitate to entrust their navigation to the deities of the ports, to pray to them in the open sea and to thank them when arriving safely at port.
The lighthouse being a tower at the top of which a fire burns, this implies access by a staircase to reach this summit, which is not the case in Fréjus because the building is full.
The ruins of a Roman lighthouse were discovered on the small islet of Lion de Mer in the bay of Saint-Raphaël. This lighthouse certainly indicated the entrance to the channel of the Roman port of Fréjus.
The construction technique used is the one commonly used in Fréjus, that is to say in small brown sandstone blocks from the Esterel Massif, connected by lime mortar.
The name Augustus certainly comes from the fact that the Roman Emperor Augustus (-63, 14) first Roman Emperor (-27,14), built the port with his general Agrippa, after the victory of Actium in 31 BC.
On this site we also find a tuff construction, which has not revealed all its mysteries, a temple for some or a structure which allowed to pull a chain which closed the entrance to the port, as Vitruvius tells us in his Treatise on Architecture.
There is also a large wall which is attached to the lantern, a crenellated wall protecting the channel.
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