L'union de collèges professionnels de Lyon par le biais de patrons communs: Le moyen le plus prompt de résoudre des affaires ?

This paper deals with the relationship between the nautae and other professionals at Ly on during the Principate. From a tem poral angle, it aim s at putting forward a new hy pothesis about the links binding them together. Epigraphic exam ination of careers of the nautal collegia's patrons rev eals that the Saône riv er transporters' collegium appointed som e of its own m em bers as its patrons, who were also Ly on's wine m erchants' collegium m em bers and its patrons or executiv es. Interpretation of this phenom enon through considering v arious docum ents related to technical, social and legal conditions of transport and trade on the Rhône-Saône-Moselle route leads us to put forward a hy pothesis: The two collegia shared their patrons-m em bers who could act better as m ediators in conflicts between their m em bers in order to av oid loss of tim e caused by long steps of lawsuits or non-m em bers patrons' interv entions.