River Somme
The city was founded by the Romans, in the Augustean period, to replace the "oppidum" of Vermand (11 km away) as the capital of "Viromandui" (Celtic Belgian people who occupied the region). It received the name of "Augusta Viromanduorum", "Augusta" of the "Viromandui", in honor of the Emperor Augustus. The site is that of a ford across the River Somme. During the late Roman period, it is possible that the civitas capital was transferred back to Vermand (whose name comes from "Veromandis"); almost nothing relating to the 4th century has been found in Saint-Quentin.