In the period before the Romans came France was inhabited by Celtic peoples known by the Gauls. In particular, the Périgord was occupied by the Petrocorii and the Quercy by the Caduici but all this was to change when the Romans, commanded by Julius Caesar, invaded Gaul. In 51 B.C.E the Romans finally defeated the Gauls at Uxelledunum near Vayrac in the Quercy. You can see what many believe to be the battlefield above the town.

Next followed the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, which lasted for about 300 years but was brought to an end by the Frankish invasion in 276 A.D. Vesunna, (modern Périgueux), survived and, while the Romans were nominally in control of the region, the Pax Romana was over and within 200 years the Roman Empire in the West was no more.

Unlike in many French Regions, very little is left of the Roman Occupation. The best place to see some Roman architecture is at Périgueux

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