The town of Arausio was originally the Celtic capital of a region now part of modern day France.

The name comes from a water deity.

It is now better known as Orange, the later name coming from a period when the town was owned by the Dutch House of Orange.

In 105 BC, a major battle was fought between two Roman armies and the Cimbri and Teutoni tribes, which is generally known as the Battle of Arausio. The battle saw the armies of Caepio and Mallius destroyed when Caepio refused to join forces with Mallius in order to secure the prestige of a victory for himself. The Romans suffered between 60,000-90,000 dead at the battle, which sent panic throughout Italy at the prospect of imminent invasion. Livy characterized it as the worst defeat since Cannae. However, after the battle the Germans retreated into Gaul and Spain, likely due to logistical concerns. The primary accounts of the battle are found in Livy, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, and Granius Licinianus.

In 35 BC the town was reinvested as a colony by vetrans of the Second Gallica legion. It hosts a particularly important and spectacular example of a Roman theatre.