page_title: History of Metz
section_title: Ancient history
hierarchical_section_title: History of Metz / Ancient history
caption_attribution_description: English: Printing by Auguste Migette. Representation of Saint Clement fighting the Graoully dragon in Metz's Roman amphitheater.
context_page_description: Metz, the capital and the prefecture of both the Lorraine region and the Moselle department in France, has a recorded history dating back over 3,000 years. During this time, it was successively a Celtic oppidum, an important Gallo-Roman city, the Merovingian capital of the Austrasia kingdom, the birthplace of the Carolingian dynasty, a cradle of Gregorian chant, and one of the oldest republics of the common era in Europe. As an important city in the heart of Europe and the crossroads of different cultures, Metz has variously experienced an integration into the Roman Empire, the period of christianization, the barbarian depredations, religious wars, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, an annexation into the German Empire, and World War II.
context_section_description: The Celtic Mediomatrici tribe was ruler of the city from 450 BC until the Roman conquest, making the town its principal oppidum. The city became an important centre of trading for metal and terracotta. With the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, Metz came under Roman rule and was integrated into the Roman Empire.
caption: Representation of Saint Clement fighting the Graoully dragon in the Roman amphitheater of Metz.
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