An Antique Storehouse and a Carolingian necropolis in the urban zone of La Rochelle

On line since September 22, 2009 · Updated September 22, 2009
In the urban zone of La Rochelle, occupations extending over nearly a millennium, from the 2nd  to the 10th centuries, were studied before the construction of a housing development. The 8 month long excavation of a surface of 5 hectares revealed an Antique storehouse, Antique and Medieval burials and a habitat dated to the early Middle Ages. These discoveries are part of a dense network of Antique and Medieval occupations in the La Rochelle area.

The Gallo-Roman storehouse

The remains of a storehouse dated to the 2nd century AD were excavated, including a grape crushing zone, a room with a floor made from a crushed terra cotta mortar, two basins with indentations and a storage area, the ensemble measuring 35 by 12 m. The building is bordered to the north by a road still visible in the limestone substratum.
Toward the 5th-6th century, the winemaking function of this location was abandoned and it became an ironworking zone. This transformation was accompanied by minor architectural transformations, such as the erection of posts against the wall facings.

Spectacular Antique tombs

Three child tombs were discovered at the foot of the western gable of a building. One was buried in a large pit (3 x 2 m and 1.3 m deep) containing many glass and ceramic objects, shoes laid at the feet of the child and pieces of a suid (pig) placed beside the body. A first analysis of the ensemble allowed the burial to be dated to between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. While the configuration of this spectacular tomb is relatively common in the Roman world, the neighbouring one, of quite a different magnitude, is an exceptional case of a multiple burial in Roman Gaul. In a vast quadrangular pit (8.5 m by 3.5 m), an adult skeleton was laid on its back and accompanied by ceramic and glass vases and alimentary offerings (pork, cock, fish, shellfish, etc.). The body and the offerings were contained in wooden caskets of which only the metal nails remain. The western part of the tomb contained another individual, probably as richly adorned as the first but in greatly disturbed by an ancient event that remains to be determined. It appears that the two individuals were buried at the same time during the second half of the 2nd century. A third individual, discovered against the northern wall of the other pit and accompanied by seven ceramic vases was buried during the 4th century.
To the south and east of the site, more dispersed remains are attributed to the 2nd to 6th centuries: buildings on posts, trenches, limestone quarries, an elliptically-shaped lime-kiln with a narrow, masonry lined entrance and a large work area. A cremation burial was discovered a short distance away. A stone chest in the pit contained a 10 piece Flavian dinner service (plates and dishes from southern Gaul), a pitcher, three pots and vase in glass. The ceramic funeral urn was deposited on the chest.

Richly decorated Carolingian burials

120 burials dated to early Middle Ages were discovered distributed throughout a more dispersed habitat surrounded by a network of trenches, partly inherited from the Antique system.
With the exception of those deposited directly in the earth, the dominant burial type remained the stone coffin inside a pit. Though some were isolated, the burials were most often grouped into ensembles of four to several dozens of individuals, which were concentrated around buildings and work areas (often identified through circulation traces or a hearth) or inside a space clearly delimited by trenches.
One of the ensembles, located near a work zone, includes ten stone coffins, some of which contain individuals richly adorned with fibulae, earrings, a ring and glass bead bracelets.
The incomplete plans of around fifteen buildings were identified through their postholes and/or solins. Though their function could not be determined, the associated artefacts show that they belong to the Carolingian period. These buildings are associated with silaging zones and four wells, which attain the groundwater table at 14 m deep and were filled in during the Carolingian period.

The evolution of a coastal territory over nearly ten centuries

On this site, a dense habitat from the Early Middle Ages succeeds an Antique occupation, with no significant hiatus between them. While a continuous sequence such as this is common in the region, this site provides a unique opportunity to understand, over a large surface, the evolution of the occupation of a coastal territory over nearly ten centuries. Information is provided though its architecture, human activities and alimentary practices, as well as the environment.

See images

  • The multiple Antique burial: a succession of three richly adorned burials attributed to the 2nd to 4th centuries.
    The multiple Antique burial: a succession of three richly adorned burials attributed to the 2nd to 4th centuries.
    © O. Dayrens, Inrap
  • Close-up of the individual buried to the east of the large pit. The organization of the deposits (attributed to the second half of the 2nd century) and their excellent preservation suggest the presence of a container.
    Close-up of the individual buried to the east of the large pit. The organization of the deposits (attributed to the second half of the 2nd century) and their excellent preservation suggest the presence of a container.
    © O. Dayrens, Inrap
  • Example of a burial in a coffin.
    Example of a burial in a coffin.
    © F. Leroy, Inrap
  • The lime kiln and its work area in the foreground.
    The lime kiln and its work area in the foreground.
    © C. Pironnet, Inrap
  • Basin of the viticultural building
    Basin of the viticultural building
    © G. Lavoix, Inrap
  • Work zone of the viticultural building: basins and grape crushing area.
    Work zone of the viticultural building: basins and grape crushing area.
    © G. Lavoix, Inrap