Aix-en-Provence [French pronunciation: ​[ɛksɑ̃pʁovɑ̃s]] (Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm, or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, pronounced [ˈajz de pʀuˈvɛⁿsɔ], Latin: Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix (pronounced: [ɛks]; medieval Occitan Aics), is a city-commune in the south of France, about 30 km (19 mi) north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix numbers approximately 143,000. Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains.

History

Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs, following the destruction of the nearby Gallic oppidum at Entremont. In 102 BC its neighbourhood was the scene of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae, where the Romans under Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones, with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism.