Castle-Roussillon

Castle-Roussillon (cat. : Castellrosselló ) is a small agglomeration of the commune of Perpignan located on a hillock dominating the Têt, and site of the ancient city of Ruscino , which gave its name to the Roussillon.

History

Origins with the Romans

The excavations attested an occupation of the site to the Neolithic era. The traces of a hut of the Âge of iron was recently discovered with the foot of the future museum.

Antiquity with the Middle Ages

It was allowed that the oppidum had been romanisé during the introduction of the Gaulle Narbonnese and of the repair of the Via Domitia to II. However, according to the excavations currently in hand, the Roman city would have been born only in the middle of I. It receives then the statute of " city latine" he conferring many advantages. It will benefit from the local store as well as that generated by the Via Domitia. Its apogee is marked at the end of I, where it obtains a monumental forum under Auguste. The périclite city then at the end of the century following to the profit of Elne ( Oppidum Illiberis ) and of Narbonne. The site is then occupied by the Visigoths then briefly by the Arabs, as attests it the discovery of several seals coufic dated from

With the Middle Ages

The counts of Roussillon resided at Castle-Roussillon between and it. They were then established with Perpignan, which marked the development of this city to the detriment of Castle-Roussillon which lost its importance then. A seigniory while bearing the name then is established there then and made there build a castle of which there remains still today a high round tower of a score of meter, a vault dedicated to Sainte-Marie and wall Saint-Pierre and some sides.

Modern time

Excavations are undertaken from on the site of the old Roman city. One releases then the forum and part of the district of dwellings. Surveys are also carried out to locate the other monuments of the city.

Description

The ancient city

the only monument of the ancient city to be almost entirely released is the monumental complex of the forum . Directed North-South, it included/understood the forum itself, bordered of shops, a basilica with three naves and a curia, leant with the septentrional wall. There remain about it only the foundations, the excavations having delivered many elements making it possible to reconstitute rise and decoration of it. In the next years, it is envisaged to deviate the local road passing to the east to try to find the entry monumental of this complex which was not discovered for the moment.
On the part is oppidum remain the ruins of a theater . There remains about it only the print in the slope of the hill, this one not having probably never been built. It could have been out of clay or wood.
Between the theater and the forum, a district of dwelling was partially released; the buildings were built out of rollers covered with coatings. The ruins delivered a piece of mosaic and elements of decorative coating.
Of the surveys moreover made it possible to locate thermal baths , whose excavation could not take place because of a lack of funds.
It is it should be noted that no place of worship has for the moment be localized on the site.

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