AUBENAS, south-east France, department of Ardeche, 19m. S.W. of Privas by road. Pop. 4,33 Situated on the slope of a hill, on the right bank of the Ardeche, its streets are crooked and narrow. It has a castle of the 13th and 16th cen turies. Institutions include a tribunal and chamber of commerce, and a conditioning-house for silk. Iron and coal mines are worked in the vicinity. Aubenas is an important silk depot and has a large silk-spinning and weaving industry. The district is rich in planta tions of mulberries and olives.