All the treasures of Reims

About thirty archaeologists, intervening on different sectors of the line, have revealed remains, often very well preserved, at depths from 50cm to 5 metres. 
The north-south way (cardo maximus), backbone of the antique town of Durocortorum, and adjoining buildings on the Place de la République have been excavated. A building, probably an Early Christian oratory mentioned in ancient texts, and a medieval cemetery have been brought to light. 
Above an early first century AD urban installation, a Gallo-Roman amphitheatre has been identified on the Place Saint Thomas. 
Moreover, foundations of a monumental arch, Place Myron-Herrick, appeared. It is the "Gate of Soissons" known as the "Gate of Venus" by ancient historians. This Gate marked the passage of the decumanus, the east-west way of the Gallo-Roman town. Under the arch, a vaulted sewer dating from the 2^nd-3^rd centuries AD of impressive dimensions (2.90 metres high), has been cleared. 

Opposite the present railway station, the tramway excavations have revealed an ancient cellar, containing an exceptional discovery: an ensemble of Gallo-Roman silverware, placed in a ditch, still wrapped in pieces of cloth. It is composed of silver-coated bronze tableware, consisting of two round dishes one of which one has a beaded decoration, two oval plates with engraved horizontal borders, a flanged cup, a round plate containing an inverted cup and four silver and bronze spoons. The remains of two bronze ewers, terracotta goblets and many metallic objects were also found in the cellar. 
This tableware was fabricated in the centre or the east-centre of Gaul and dates from the 2^nd-3^rd centuries AD. 

The most noteworthy aspect of this discovery is the state of conservation of the pieces of cloth that wrapped the ensemble. Textile remains are frequently found in the form of oxidised wefts on metal objects, but in this case, thanks to exceptional conditions of conservation, several tens of square centimetres in their original supple form have come down to us. In addition, the first plate has also kept scraps of fur or of skin.
Even though this tableware is not of solid silver, the discovery of such a homogeneous group of objects is rare. It was not a treasure hidden by some worried owner, but a service of quality carefully put away and intended to present dishes according to the new table manners in vogue during the 2^nd and 3^rd centuries. 

On the western limit of the Gallo-Roman town, a group of archaeologists has revealed archaeological remains over an area of 3800 m² on the banks of the former river bed of the Vesle. Several buildings have been brought to light (warehouses, workshops …), a Gallo-Roman wharf on the river banks and fish tanks dating from the late Middle Ages. This humid milieu is particularly favourable to the conservation of organic remains (leather, wood, seeds, pollen …). 
To reinforce foundations in these damp conditions the Gallo-Romans drove piles down to the geological substratum. These piles were then covered with an apron on which the walls were built. In this excavation, the role of wood is omnipresent. Four square-shaped wells whose casing is composed of planks assembled either half-wood or dovetailed, were probably linked with some craft activity. Several ditches for storage or decantation of potter's clay testify the production of ceramics nearby. Other craft activities seem to have been intense in this part of the town. The production of textiles is testified by four workshops in which looms were installed. A series of kilns or drying ovens, as for them, lead one to presume activities linked to the fabrication of iron objects, or the drying of cereals. The explanation of the large quantity of leather shoes found in the river bed at the outlet of the gutters of an ancient street has not yet been found (work rejects, shoemaking activity …).

On its website, Inrap proposes an interactive atlas concerning 25 years of archaeology in Reims and its surroundings: www.inrap.fr
Furthermore, the town of Reims, Reims Métropole, Mars (Mobilité agglomération rémoise) and Inrap co-produce with Zadig productions a 52 minute documentary realised by Jean-Paul Fargier and entitled "Reims la romaine" (to be completed late 2009).