Graufesenque

Graufesenque is an archeological site located at two kilometers of Millau (Aveyron, France), at the junction of the rivers of the Tarn and Dourbie, on the territory of the tribe Gaulois E of the Rutènes. The place was called Condatomagus (condate = confluent; magus = gone). Indeed its development is to some extent with the economic activity which proceeded there: massive production of sigillée ceramics, inspired of Italian models.

History

The potters produced with Graufesenque a fine crockery, frequently marked of a stamp (Latin sigillata), called sigillée Céramique (sigillata will terra). This crockery with varnished color brick, with or without moulded decoration had an enormous success in the Roman Empire, and was exported banks of Indus to the Iberian peninsula. The workshops have to function of Ier S. before J. - C. until the medium of IIIe S. a. J. - C. One has the forms of charging engraved by the craftsmen on pieces of terra cotta, which enable us to measure the quantitative importance of their production (to 40.000 parts per batch).

Very beautiful specimens of sigillées vases are exposed to the municipal museum of Millau: cuts, chalices, goblet S, dishes, bowls, lagenes…

The archeological site

A secondary agglomeration existed (Condatomagus according to the table of Peutinger), which one knows only some districts, of which the site of Graufesenque.

The site comprises an artisanal zone (furnaces of potters, warehouses…), a crowned surface (temples), and habitats, separated by lanes. Other buildings were detected at the time of air overflights (nymphée, large building).

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