Noviodunum, Switzerland

Noviodunum or Colonia Iulia Equestris was a Roman era settlement in what is now Nyon in the Canton of Vaud in Switzerland [1]. Colonia Iulia Equestris was most likely founded by Julius Caesar in 46–44 BC [1]. It was established on land taken from the Helvetii as a Colonia for cavalry veterans [1]. Noviodunum was part of a loose network of settlements that radiated out from Lugdunum and helped to control the Rhone Valley [1]. A rectangular grid pattern divided the area of the wall-less city [1]. A monumental center, housing everything needed for the economic, religious and social life of the colony, was established [1]. Only portions of this first forum have been discovered [1]. The center of the Roman city was on an elevated plateau between the Asse and Cossy rivers [1].