In classical times the Gard area was settled by
Romans and their allies. They built the
Via Domitia across the region in 118 BC. Centuries later, on 4 March 1790, the Gard was one of the original 83 departments created during the
French Revolution. It comprised the
ancient province of
Languedoc. Originally this department was to include the canton of
Ganges, but Ganges was transferred to the neighbouring department of
Hérault. In return, the Gard was assigned the fishing port of
Aigues Mortes, which gave the department its own outlet to the
Gulf of Lion on the Mediterranean Sea. During the middle of the nineteenth century
the prefecture, traditionally a centre of commerce with a manufacturing sector focused on textiles, was an early beneficiary of railway development, becoming an important railway junction. Several luxurious hotels were built, and the improved market access provided by the railways also encouraged, initially, a rapid growth in wine growing. But many winegrowers were ruined when the vineyards were infected with
phylloxera in 1872. == Geography ==