AVENCHE, the Arenticum of the ancients, a small town in the canton of Berne, in Switzerland, situated at the south extremity of the lake Morat, near the river Broye. Avenche seems to have been a very flourishing colony in the time of the Romans. Within a space of about five miles in circumference, are discovered the foundations of walls, inscriptions, Mo saic pavements, medals, and numerous remains of ar chitecture and sculpture in marble. A column of white marble about 60 feet high ; the remains of an amphitheatre ; the floor of an ancient bath, about 60 feet by 40, done in Mosaic work, and ornamented with numerous human figures, are some of the re mains of its ancient magnificence. " Not far from these ruins," says Mr Coxe, " stands a column of white marble, about fifty feet in height, composed of large masses, nicely joined together without cement ; near it lies a considerable fragment of defaced sculp ture, which seems to have once formed part of the portal belonging to a magnificent temple. At a small distance from this column, in the high road, we observed a cornice of white marble, sculptured with urns and griffins; and as we walked through the town, we remarked several other masses of cornice, orna mented with sea horses and urns, and some marble columns of beautiful proportions. •
About a mile from Av,enche, near the village of Coppet, on the other side of a little stream, which separates the canton of Firburgh from that of Bern, are the remains of a small aqueduct, discovered about fifteen years ago, by the accidental fall of a sand hill. The outside is formed of stones and mortar, and the inside of red Roman cement ; the vault of the arch may be about two feet and a half high, and one and a half broad. This aqueduct has been traced to the east side of. the town, and near the marble column. We were also informed that it extends to the tower of Gausa, between Vevay and Lausanne, and that between Villarsel and Marnau, about four leagues from Coppet, an arch of nearly the same di mensions is excavated in the solid rock." The emperor Vespasian was one of the principal benefactors to this colony. In an inscription preserved in the church of Avenche, it, is called Colonia pia Flavia, constans emerita, Aventicum Helvetiorumicederata. E. Long. 7° 1', N. Lat. 46°52'. A description and engraving of the Mosaic pavement will be found in Schmideg Recueil d' Antiquites de la Suisse. See also Coxe's Travels in Switzerland, vol. ii. p. 174--180 ; and -Diet. de hi Suisse, vol. i. p. 2.1. (o)