- The Council of the Three Gauls, also known as the ‘Concilium Galliarum’ or Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls, was an annual meeting held on the 1st August in Lyon and attended by representatives of each of the 60 Gallic Tribes in Gaul.
- The Amphitheatre no longer exists, but there is a reconstruction inside the Museum, Lugdunum: Gallo Roman Museum of Lyon.
The Council
- During the Roman Period, Representatives of the 60 Tribes of the Three Gauls met on the 1st August each year, at the ‘Sanctuary of the Three Gauls’, located at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers.
- Originally, there were only 1,800 seats, for the Delegations of the 60 Gallic Tribes. This was expanded after 136 CE to seat 20,000 enabling other visitors to watch the Games which accompanied the Imperial Cult.
- The 1st August was a celebration of the first day of the month named in Augustus’ honour, and also the Day of Worship of the Gallic Sun God Lugh, after whom Lugdunum was named.
Condate Altar
- The Altar stood in the Concilium Galliarum. In front of the Altar, each of the 60 Gallic Tribes had their Name engraved on a Stone Seat arranged in a semi circle.
- The ‘Condate Altar’ was dedicated to ‘Dea Roma’, the Goddess of Rome and the Roman State, and to Augustus. A religious ceremony conducted by the High Priest, himself one of the Gallic elite, celebrated the Cult of the Roman Emperor and drew the Gallic Aristocracy into the career structure of the Roman Empire.
- This concept was successfully repeated throughout all the Roman Cities of the Empire.
The Lyon Tablet
- This is a Bronze inscription commemorating the speech by Emperor Claudius giving the Gallic Nobility the Right to enter the Roman Senate.
- It is now located in Lugdunum: Gallo Roman Museum of Lyon.
Lugdunum GalloRoman Museum, Lyon