Entremont (oppidum)
Entremont was a Celtic - Ligurian oppidum about three kilometers north of Aix-en-Provence .
location
The oppidum is located on a limestone plateau about three kilometers north of the city center of Aix-en-Provence, southeast of the intersection of the two highways D14 and N296 .
According to legend, it was part of the route that Heracles had to cover when he stole the cattle of Geryon ; it was also a stop on a possible route from Massilia to the Alps and Italy .
history
The oppidum arose around the 3rd century BC. BC. It was the capital of salyes and not only created for defense purposes but was used by the Celts as a religious and economic center. After the Greek settlement in Marseille, it was also the first urban settlement in Gaul . The Salluvians, as the inhabitants are called by ancient authors, were probably responsible for an amalgamation of the peoples around the Rhone and Var , which turned against the Greek-influenced Massilia . Due to its strategic location, Entremont was founded in the 2nd century BC. Expanded into a mighty fortress, but as early as 123 BC. Chr. By the Roman troops of Gaius Sextius Calvinus destroyed.
description
The settlement extended over an area of about 3.5 hectares and was surrounded by a city wall with defensive towers, which formed the shape of an irregular triangle. A remnant of the city wall on the north side including the rectangular towers has been preserved and can be viewed on the excavation site. A dividing wall inside divided the settlement area into an upper and a lower town. The lower town was populated by farmers and craftsmen, in the upper town there is a sanctuary and houses for the upper class. The structure of the chessboard-like arrangement of the city can still be seen. The oppidum's houses were made of masonry. It had storage tanks and larger magazines, as well as a sanctuary with the rite of the heads cut off. Researchers disagree about this rite; What is certain, however, is that Poseidonius , handed down through Diodorus , Strabo and Caesar , reported on the Gallic custom of beheading enemies.
archeology
The site was discovered by chance in 1817 by a seminarist from Aix while walking. During the occupation of the plateau by the German Air Force in World War II , a cistern and parts of sculptures were found, which has led to greater interest in the site. The complex has been open to both archaeologists and the public since 1973.
Finds
Numerous archaeological finds testify that the Salluvii were a people without writing, but were technically up to date. B. produced high quality glass and metal objects. Celtic weapons, jewelry and ceramics and the Celtic name of the king Teutomalius indicate that a Ligurian people were ruled by a Celtic upper class in the city.
The finds from Entremont, including the "head column" and numerous statues, can be viewed in the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence, Place Saint-Jean de Malte.
literature
- Fernand Benoît: Entremont, capitale celto-ligure des Salyens de Provence. Revised new edition. Editions Ophrys, Gap 1969.
- Stefan Brandenburg, Ines Mache: Provence. The complete guide for individual travel and discovery in Provence, the Camargue and Marseille. 6th updated edition. Reise Know-How Verlag Rump , Bielefeld 2008, ISBN 978-3-8317-1665-4 , pp. 441-443.
- Archéologie d'Entremont au Musée Granet. Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence 1987.
- Jonas Scherr: Entremont ( DNP Addenda et Corrigenda). In: Orbis Terrarum 11, 2012/2013, pp. 213–224.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Stefan Brandenburg, Ines Mache: Provence. 6th edition. 2008, pp. 441-443.
- ↑ The Oppidum of Entremont - Architecture and Settlement, Settlement 2 , accessed on November 12, 2011.
Coordinates: 43 ° 33 ′ 8 ″ N , 5 ° 26 ′ 21 ″ E