|
1953-2003: fifty years of archeological digs
at the Forêterie site in Allonnes in the Sarthe department of France.
This fiftieth anniversary is being celebrated by a team led by Katherine
Gruel(1) , head of the excavations, and Véronique Brouquier Reddé(2)
, both members of the "Laboratoire d’Archéologies d’Orient
et d’Occident" (Eastern and Western Archeology Laboratory, CNRS
– Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris)(3) , through an exhibit
that will be open to the public starting June 6, 2003, at the Allonnes
City Hall, as well as through an international symposium to take place
June 4, 5 and 6, 2003, at the Université du Maine (Le Mans, France).
The exhibit, "The Mars Mullo shrine at the
doors of the Aulerques Cénomans capital," presents the first
results of these digs to the general public, revealing the different stages
of a Roman construction site as well. It was designed to give an easily
accessible overview of the historical scope of the archeological remains
and newly discovered furniture found on the site. After presenting the
oldest levels that date from the 5th century BC, the exhibit focuses on
the reconstruction of the shrine in the 2nd century AD. Finally, it shows
the power and influence of this Aulerques Cénomans city in Roman-occupied
Gaul through inscriptions, iconography and furniture.
These archeological digs are part of a joint research program of the Ministry
of Culture and its partners, including the Laboratoire d’Archéologie
d’Orient et d’Occident (CNRS – ENS Paris), the Université
du Maine, the DRAC of the Pays de Loire, the Institut National de Recherches
Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP Grand Ouest), the ESGT
of Le Mans, etc. This new program is part of the Aulerques Cénomans
Territorial Survey. Its purpose is to establish a GIS (Geographic Information
System) that will be available to the different parties involved in research
in the department. It is supported by the Allonnes City Council, the Le
Mans Urban Community, the Sarthe Regional Council and the DRAC.
A local archeology-oriented economic insertion program has been organized
to focus on the excavation site, located on the outskirts of the city
of Allonnes. The Centre Allonnais de Recherches et de Prospection Archéologiques
(CAPRA), a non-profit organization, welcomes school children and groups
throughout the year and to organize visits of the site, workshops, an
excavation school for children as well as a major annual event.
An international symposium will also take place on June 4, 5 and 6, 2003,
on the theme of "Allonnes (Sarthe) and Western shrines to Mars,"
bringing together historians, epigraphists (whose work on inscriptions
on monuments, ex-votos and religious statues are indispensable for identifying
the monument and the deity worshipped) and field archeologists. They will
compare the different representations of Mars in the west. Like Mars Mullo,
a regional Gallic god whose traces can be found in the west of France,
Mars is the Roman god that is the most often associated with local gods.
These issues of religious syncretism will also lead scientists to considerations
related to religious architecture: standard Roman construction design
(areas of worship, architectural decoration, galleries, courtyards, porticos,
paintings, etc.) and regional particularities. In this capacity, the Mars
Mullo shrine in Allonnes is a good example of provincial Roman religious
architecture.
1 - Katherine Gruel is a CNRS research
director. A numismatist, she specializes in the end of the Gallic period
and the Romanization of Gaul.
2 - Véronique Brouquier Reddé, is chargée de recherche
at the CNRS and specializes in provincial Roman shrines in Gaul and in
North Africa.
3 - Directed by Dominique Briquel.
"The Mars Mullo shrine at the
doors of the Aulerques Cénomans capital," exhibit organized
by the "Laboratoire d'Archéologies d’Orient et d’Occident"
(Eastern and Western Archeology Laboratory, CNRS-ENS Paris) and the Centre
Allonnais de Prospections et de Recherches Archéologiques (Archeological
Research and Survey Center of Allonnes, at the Allonnes City Hall (Sarthe
department, France): beginning June 6, 2003.
"Allonnes, Mars and his shrines in the Roman West," at the Université
du Maine, CNRS symposium program: http://www.dr2.cnrs.fr/Actu/manifestationsf.htm
Researcher
contact:
Katherine Gruel
Laboratoire d’Archéologies d’Orient et d’Occident
Tel: +33 6 66 30 27 08
E-mail: katherine.gruel@ens.fr
Press contact:
Magali Sarazin
Tel: +33 1 44 96 46 06
E-mail: magali.sarazin@cnrs-dir.fr
|