Antibes

Antibes (anc. Antipolis), a fortified seaport in the French department of Alpes Maritimes, 7½ miles S. of Cannes. The harbour is serviceable only for small craft. It is a military station of the third rank, possesses a naval school, and has considerable trade in anchovies, olives, dried fruits, salt-fish, oil, &c. Population 6332. Antibes is a very old place, having been founded by a colony of Greeks from Massilia (Marseilles), of which it was a dependency. In the time of Augustus it was elevated to the rank of an Italian city, and many ruins still testify to its ancient prosperity. In the Austrian War of Succession, it was severely bombarded by Browne during a three months' siege (1746). The Antibes Legion, a body of foreign troops, chiefly French, kept by the pope during the French occupation of Rome, was formed here.