The research area consists of the valley
of the Arroux River, a tributary of the Loire
River, in the Burgundy
region of eastern-central France (click on the image at right
for a large and enhanced SPOT satellite image of the region).
The valley is located in the modern Department of Saône-et-Loire,
with the river flowing south from its headwaters in the Morvan
Mountains to the Loire along a northeast-southwest trending
line. Along the heights above the river are a string of granitic
hills and mountains on which a series of Celtic
hillforts are located. These have figured significantly in
the history of the region, as well in our own research activities.
Foremost of these is Mt. Beuvray, in the northwest corner of
the study area. This impressive mountain was the site of the
great Celtic city of Bibracte,
capital city of the Aedui,
the powerful Iron Age Celtic polity whose territory was centered
on the Arroux. Bibracte reportedly had a population of over 30,000
in 52 BC, when Julius Caesar quartered his legions there. Other,
smaller, hillforts follow the river to the south, while others
follow the opposite side of the river.
The Roman walls of Autun
The major modern city in the
valley is Autun.
It was founded by Caesar
Augsutus as Augustodunum Aedorum, home of the relocated Celtic
inhabitants of Bibracte after the Roman conquest, when Julius
Caesar forced them to move down from the protected mountain
to the banks of the river. Caesar's conquest
of Gaul, including his time in this area, was documented
in his Gallic war commentaries (De
bello gallico commentarii), beginning with his famous phrase
"Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres." You can read
the English
translation here ("All Gaul is divided into three parts...")
Augustodunum was a rich and powerful
city, with over 80,000 people in Roman times. It was the home
of the Roman Prefect of Gual; and had 7 Km of great walls with
four impressive city gates, temples, theatres, and 2 ampitheatres.
One of these seated 20,000 and was the largest in Gaul. It also
boasted an academy/school that was famed throughout the empire.
While the region retains a mostly
rural character, there are several modern threats to cultural
resources in the region. The most serious of these are a series
of gravel mines (sabliers) that operate along the banks of the
river. These mines are taking much of the land immediately adjacent
to the river in areas that are prime locations for archaeological
resources from various periods.
The sabliers have already destroyed
very important cultural resources, including the first known
Gallo-Roman villa complex in the valley. This villa was located
by our research team in 1978 through field surveys, and was documented
by aerial photography in 1979. It is certain that these mining
operations have destroyed other cultural sites that were never
documented. One of our immediate priorities is the location,
documentation, and protection of these irreplaceable resources.
The Research Area
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