Sisteron has been inhabited for 4,000 years. The
Romans used the route through Sisteron as can be shown by a Latin inscription in the rocks near the road to
Authon. It escaped the barbarian invasions after the fall of
Rome, but was ravaged by the
Saracens. It was first fortified by the Counts of
Forcalquier in the 11th century and later was the northern boundary of the domain of the
Counts of Provence. In 1483 during the reign of
Louis XI, Sisteron re-joined the kingdom of France. Around this time there were seven plagues that killed two thirds of the population. Between 1562 and 1594 the town and its citadelle was fought over by
Protestants and
Catholics including two sieges. During this time the walls of the town were built. The plague returned in 1630, and typhus in 1744, killing many of the town's population. During the
French Revolution the town remained Royalist. Consequently, when
Napoleon arrived on his march north after his escape from
Elba in 1815, the town ignored him and let him through. On 15 August 1944 French
Martin B-26 Marauder bombers and American
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 42nd Bomber Wing tried to destroy the railway bridge and the road bridge which span the Durance. The weather was unfavorable and the bridges were not destroyed. A bomber during a manoeuvre to avoid a collision accidentally dropped several bombs on the town, including a full church, causing about 100 fatalities and seriously damaging the citadel. On 17 August the French aircraft returned and destroyed the bridges. ==Sights==