What is Oppidum?
[[File:Oppidum d'Entremont 1.jpg|thumb|260px|Remains of the Oppidum at d'Entremont 1]] An '''oppidum''' (plural: ''oppida'') is a large fortified [[Iron Age]] [[settlement]]. In the 2nd and 1st centuries [[BC]], they were in all parts of Europe. They continued until the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] conquered Southern and [[Western Europe]]. In [[Germania]], north of the rivers [[Danube]] and [[Rhine River|Rhine]], oppida were used into the 1st century [[Anno Domini|AD]]. [[Julius Caesar]] called the larger [[Celt]]ic [[Iron Age]] settlements he found in [[Gaul]] ''oppida''. The word is now used to describe the large pre-Roman towns that existed across Western and [[Central Europe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/oppidum |title=Oppidum |first= |last= |work=Oxford Dictionaries Online |year=2011 |accessdate=22 November 2011 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119173716/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/oppidum |url-status=dead }}</ref> Many oppida grew from [[hill fort]]s, but not all of them had an important defensive role. The main features of the oppida are: * the planned building of the walls and gates * the spacious layout * a view of the surrounding area. The development of oppida was an important step in the [[urbanisation]] of Europe. They were the first large settlements north of the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] that could be described as [[town]]s. Caesar pointed out that each tribe of Gaul would have several oppida, but that they were not all of equal importance. This suggests that there was some form of [[hierarchy]]. In conquered lands, the Romans took over the oppida to administer the Empire, and many became full Roman towns. This often involved a change of location from the hilltop into the [[plain]]. One of the best preserved oppida is at [[Enserune]] in [[France]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.midi-france.info/1001b_enserune.htm |title=Prehistory: The oppidum at Enserune |first= |last= |work=The History of the