During Classical Antiquity, the fortified city of Carcassonne was the oppidum (fortified city of the Roman era) of Tectosage Volques, Celtic people who had chosen to settle on this strategically high location to dominate the Aude Valley. The location of the city also allows the control of access to both seas. The region has been conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century before our era to connect with Spain, which explains the presence of a first line of Roman ramparts around the city.