Archaeological excavations carried out by a joint team from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) and the Archaeological Service of the Indre-et-Loire Department (Sadil) in France led to the discovery of two important archaeological sites in the communes of Mon and Sorigny, as part of the work preceding the creation of the Isoparc ZAC zone. The work revealed, on the one hand, an aristocratic settlement from pre-Roman Gaul, which remained after the conquest, and, on the other hand, a medieval rural settlement, which completes the picture of the settlement of this region in the first millennium AD.
The first archaeological site, located in the municipality of Mont, stands on a hill overlooking the Endr River. Archaeologists have identified here a Gallic settlement of an aristocratic nature, which was inhabited continuously from the end of the Iron Age, at the beginning of the 1st century BC, until the beginning of the Gallo-Roman period, already in the 1st century AD. A characteristic feature of the settlement is its powerful defensive and boundary system, consisting of a moat of considerable dimensions, varying in width from five to seven metres and up to 2.80 metres deep, accompanied by an internal embankment. This impressive construction forms a rectangular space with an area of 1.2 hectares with a single entrance, located on the south side. Wider view of the excavations from the air.
Within this perimeter, the layout of the buildings attests to careful, long-term planning. The remains, preserved mainly in the form of impressions and negatives in the substrate, make it possible to distinguish the location of the residential buildings, a series of outbuildings and a well, all arranged according to a rigorously structured plan that remained in place throughout the enclave’s existence.
A special feature of this archaeological site is the extraordinary nature of its technical achievements; the buildings have exceptionally deep foundations with traces of sturdy pillars, designed to support the weight of large wooden structures. The overall rigidity that permeates the spatial organisation, with the clear layout of the buildings and fences designed to connect the different areas, indicates the hand of a first-rate elite, who, with these ostentatious constructions, sought to project the image of their power and authority in the territory of the Turons. Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel or follow us on Google News and receive the latest news on archaeological and scientific discoveries.
The importance of this centre of power for the indigenous population apparently did not diminish after Gaul was included in the orbis romanus. The excavations of this settlement therefore offer a unique opportunity to analyse the dynamics of Gallic society and the process of its adaptation or transformation in the new political and cultural context that formed after the Roman conquest. The analysis of the well, located in the vicinity of the residential areas, together with the study of various domestic objects found during the excavations, will provide important data for understanding the living conditions of its inhabitants.
The second focus of the work is in the commune of Sorigny, where archaeologists have completely documented an agricultural settlement dating from the Carolingian period, between the 8th and 10th centuries AD. This discovery takes on its true significance in the context of previous discoveries in the same area; this is the third archaeological site from this period to be investigated in this sector and is directly related to an elite mansion discovered just 150 metres to the south-west in 2002-2003.
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Receive our news and articles free of charge at your email address. You can also support us by taking out a monthly subscription and receiving exclusive content. The new settlement is interpreted as the place of residence of the peasants who worked on this farm or supplied their products to it. In addition, the necropolis with about 100 graves, excavated in 2023 about 400 metres to the northeast, probably contained the remains of the population of both settlements, forming a common funerary complex.
The excavations, which covered the entire area of the archaeological site, approximately 12,000 square metres, reveal a settlement crossed by a road. In the eastern part, several dozen post holes attest to the existence of buildings that included both dwellings and warehouses or stables. In the western part, the concentration of deep structures, including waste pits, underground silos and pits for the extraction of materials, attests to the carrying out of agricultural activities.
The presence of slag and metallurgical waste in some of these holes also indicates that blacksmithing was carried out here. The picture of this small Carolingian rural settlement is completed by the discovery of around twenty graves, fifteen of which are grouped together, forming a separate cemetery at the southern end of the site.
These excavations, carried out using scientific methods in the field of preventive archaeology, significantly enrich our knowledge of the settlement of the Indr valley and paint a historical picture of the evolution from the Gallic lords, who demonstrated their status through impressive moats and architectural constructions before the arrival of the Romans, to the peasant communities who, almost a millennium later, organised their lives and deaths around farms that sustained the emerging feudal world.
