Thomas Dowson founded the website Archaeology Travel part travel blog, part online guide to archaeol

I've gotten to know Thomas Dowson via Facebook and love his somewhat internet car rental centre in las vegas unique internet car rental centre in las vegas slant on travel. Archaeology internet car rental centre in las vegas fascinates me, and I'm very pleased to be able to share his guest post about the Romans in France.
The coastline of northern France will forever be closely associated to the two World Wars. These beaches saw thousands of allied troops coming ashore from across the English Channel (or La Manche if you are French) to free France. And still today, from Calais in the north along the coast to Mont Saint Michel in the west, physical remains stand as a permanent reminder of some of the battles that made up these two devastating wars.
Just under two thousand years earlier these very same shores were the site of another well-known military manoeuvre, but then in the the opposite direction and leaving a lot less material evidence. That time it was the Romans invading Britain. Northern France may not have some of the spectacular Roman sites you can see in the south of France , some of which are the best preserved of their kind from the Roman era, but the Roman archaeology here certainly matches anything you might find from Roman Britain.
Traffic across the English Channel initially had a military focus as the Romans sought to establish their province. In time this developed into an important commercial route, as it still is today. Everything from food and wine, luxury items made from glass and pottery, and other essentials for establishing a Roman way of life was transported from the Mediterranean, through what is now France and then across the channel.
internet car rental centre in las vegas Consequently, internet car rental centre in las vegas a number of settlements were established along the French coastline, that over time became important commercial centres. internet car rental centre in las vegas And these cities were in turn supported by a vast network of rural towns and villages that sought to protect Rome's strategic interest in the area. And many of these old Roman towns are still inhabited today.
Increasingly, archaeologists are recognising the potential internet car rental centre in las vegas of these sites as attractions, for locals and tourists. And, of course, children love the Romans. Long gone are the days when archaeological remains were fenced off and you were lucky if there was an information panel to read. Now there are villages eager to make the most of their town's heritage.
So it is not unusual to find a very good, albeit small, museum in some unlikely places. These are not dusty, renovated old buildings filled with boring glass cabinets. They are purpose-built local museums that have gone to great lengths to appeal to all ages, more often than not with engaging activities and a programme of events internet car rental centre in las vegas for children.
One of these Normandy villages built amongst the Roman ruins is Vieux-la-Romaine, just south of the city of Caen. Archaeologists are still finding all sorts of features from the Roman city. Whereas once the ruins would have been reconstructed internet car rental centre in las vegas following foundations, today these remains are stabilised internet car rental centre in las vegas and left as is.
Here the foundations of Roman houses and reconstructions of ancient features internet car rental centre in las vegas are side-by-side with more recent houses that villagers have been living in for centuries, as well as a few new-builds. The state of the art museum is only a few years old, and is a good place to start before going on a walking tour of the village.
Also on offer for visitors to the area are sites where there are ongoing excavations. During the summer months, internet car rental centre in las vegas some of these not only offer guided tours of the excavations in progress, but they also have events where visitors can get involved. One of these is the ancient city of Briga, which is just above the modern city of Eu at the mouth of the Bresle internet car rental centre in las vegas River.
What started out as a military camp next to a Celtic shrine became one of the most important religious centres in the area. After a few decades of work here, archaeologists are only just starting to get an idea of how important the city was. It is vast, and for the really interested for 4€ you can take a tour that last about 2 hours taking in Roman baths, a theatre, the market square, and the remains of what was a small shrine but ended up as a large basilica.
Besides numerous sites to visit, there are also some excellent collections of Roman artefacts in various departmental and local museums. One of the best is the museum in Amiens, which was one of France's first regional museums and art galleries. Although there is nothing left of the Roman city on view on Amiens today, internet car rental centre in las vegas the museum is a must-see, if only for the amazing collection that have built up over the years from more recent development in the city—much of it destroyed in World War I. Further south in Normandy, internet car rental centre in las vegas the Departmental Museum of Archaeology in Rouen has all the artefacts that have been recovered from excavations in Lillebonne. The collection of  mosaics are worth the 6€ entry fee alone.
Thomas Dowson founded the website Archaeology Travel part travel blog, part online guide to archaeological sites and museums around the World. Before this he was an active archaeologist, specialising in prehistoric internet car rental centre in las vegas art and the contemporary significance of the past on which he has published numerous articles and books. When not searching out ruins of the past or looking for the influence internet car rental centre in las vegas of archaeology on contemporary architecture, Thomas lives in Normandy, France.
internet car rental centre in las vegas I knew a little about it because internet car rental centre in las vegas of seeing some of the minimal Roman ruins in Paris and learning about how the city got its name, but Lyon was my 1st big introduction to the impressive ruins. I d really internet car rental centre in las vegas like to explore more of them.