The presence of man in the region around Nice dates back to about 400,000 years ago according to archaeological evidence but little is yet known of this distant past.
From the 4th century BC, the Phocaean Greeks established a town here named Nikaia, after the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. It was a busy trading center. Up above the city, the Romans built the strategic center of Cemenelum with all the accompanying grandeur, including an amphitheater.