ABSTRACT
A city like Narbonne goes back to Rome and its foundation, whose possession enhanced the prestige of the Visigoths. Through their representation of Roman cities like Narbonne and Cordoba, Gothic families were now able to link their ancestry to the classical tradition that had already been used by the Gallo-Roman nobility, as shown in the analysis of Sidonius's poem, Carmina XXIII. The argument of a Gothic legitimacy reinforced the creation of an apostolate in Spain with citations from earlier Visigothic councils and the early preachings of St James. By the 670s Narbonne and its territory stood inside an emerging regional system in southern Gaul with closer connections to Aquitaine, which was itself also achieving a more detached identity from Austrasia and Burgundy. In the earlier period, Luni was notable for its port, occupying the coastal area known today as the gulf of La Spezia.
