Prehistory

Preliminary geological context

The Bresse occupies the central part of what was a lake of the tertiary era. This vast water level, probably not very deep and rather marshy, flowed towards the Mediterranean in the south of what is the town of Valence today, close to the confluence of Drome with the Rhone. The glacial bolt formed by the mounts of Vivarais and Tricastin played the part of water level controlling the level of the lake. It was probably an immense pond, perhaps strewn with islands and supplied with many sources, which was worth the denomination of `to him' Lake''.

The lake bressan

The lake bressan occupied approximately two thirds north of what is, nowadays, the Rhone-Saone furrow, over a length evaluated with approximately 350 kilometers. The buttresses of Vercors, Chartreuse, the Wallows, Bugey, Jurassic Revermont to the feet of the Vosges formed its bank is. North, difficult to define, was to bathe the heights of the Lorraine plates, Champagne and of Langres, while the western bank skirted the mounts of Gold Coast, Chalonnais, Mâconnais, Lyonnais and Vivarais. Its width varied between 60 kilometers with the north ends and south and only 40 kilometers with the central contracting corresponding to what is today the part Doubs/the Rhone. These dimensions having, of course, only one approximate value.

New geological upheavals

About the middle of the Tertiary sector, with Oligocene and miocene, i.e. between less 45 million and less 15 million years, took place the great orogenetic movements responsible for the construction of our current Alps. The Jura, hustled, was propped up towards the lake, thus folding the bottom of the tank made up of marly deposits (complex argilo-limestone) and thus gave to the future country a form mamelonnée with very weak unevennesses, except some quaternary valleys more marked a little. The bolt of the south jumped, causing the water run-off towards the south and the progressive draining of the bottom bressan.

The forest bressane

The wet and marshy ground was undoubtedly favourable with an important timbering, the important alluvial residues carted by the many rivers having enriched a rather poor and impermeable environment considerably. They is probably as constituted what, well later, the Romans called Saltus Brixiensis or Brixia (the forest bressane). Its limits were in a perimeter which it is allowed to delimit by the current cities of Vesoul and Gray in north; Dijon, Beaune, Trawl-net, Mâcon, Villefranche, Lyon, Vienna, Tournon and Valence in the west; St Marcellin, the Tower of the Pine, Borough, Lons the Salt maker, Pares, Besancon in the east.

The Bresse occupied only the center of this territory. I.e. that it had as limits Doubs in north, Veyle and Dombes in the south, Revermont in the east and the hills Mâconnaises and Chalonnaises with the setting one.

The human being forsook probably a long time this corner unhealthy and dangerous and the various geological and climatic upheavals erased, mainly, the traces of these prehistoric times.

prehistory until less 1500 years

Supposed fauna

One did not find many fossil remains, but those let suppose that strange animals lived in the forest and the marshes: the mammoth, the rhinoceros with partitioned nostrils (still called woolly rhinoceros because of its fleece), the hippopotamus, the giant stag, the chamois, the auroch (primitive ox), the horse, the reindeer and close to the Jura, the bear known as of the caves.

The human presence

One can think that the man was present because it was about scientifically established that the existence of the Hominides goes up at the time quaternary. The human presence left traces in mâconnais, towards Solutré. And Revermont, comprises many caves just as the country tournugeois where the man could shelter and to protect itself from these frightening animals.

Hunters-gatherers

The forest bressane, very dense, had to represent for these first inhabitants, an enormous natural basin of hunting. Armed summarily with hatchets, knives, harpoons, arrowheads granite and heavy hammers, they carried out a life hard and dangerous because they were to drive out their preys with nearest and then to transfer them onto enough long distances since it is about sure that they did not live the scrap-metal bressan, too risky.

First sedentaries

Hunters, they became also pastors, raising in enclosures: horses, oxen, sheep, pigs and also of the domesticated dogs. The Bronze Age and, later, of iron made make with these inhabitants enormous agricultural progress. Bronze, alloy of copper and tin was little by little introduced into our areas and brought the manufacture of weapons, swords, ustensils, tools, ornaments, etc…

Racial origins

The men who arrived towards the Bresse were the Aryan ones of Eastern Europe. Living in vast tribes, they were unceasingly in the search of new territories. Latin called them `' Galli'', or `' Celtic''. `' Lowen'', old name of Louhans is of origin Celtic just as the hamlet of `' Cop'', with the confluence of Brenne with the Pail, Celtic the `confluent' Condate'' meaning.

The Celtic or Gallic time (of less 1500 at less 60 years)

The arrival of the Celts was made in a diffuse way, without meeting any resistance, proof moreover than little of inhabitants were capable to drive back these skilful warriors, larger cuts some, well trained and armed better. The `Éduens' were established in the west of Arar (the Saone), the `Boëns' towards the region of Lion and the `Séquanes' in the east of the forest bressane.

Villages and localities

The Bresse being a mamelonné relief, those which were established built their residences in elevated places. By security measure, they occupied thus of many mounts (in patois, of the meûrots). One still preserves many names of these places: Montjay, Montcony, Montagny, Montret, Montpont, Montaigu, Montain, Montmorot, Montciel, Montjouvent, Montsavin, Montceau, Montangelin, Montcoy, Montillon, Montalibord, Montrevel, Mount of the Cat, Monfleur, the Mount, the Mound, etc… But they also lived of Essarts, of Varennes, of Bordes, Vesvres (or Vasvres), Piochets, Abergements, Mollards, Thiellet (or Thielloy), the Scrapers and much of other well defined localities which arrived to us.

Ethnic wars

The settlement of the Bresse was probably very slow. But that did not prevent Séquanes from coming little by little into contact with their cousins of the edges of the Saone. It of Eduens, of the same race than them and were also divided into many tribes. Because these tribes of Indo-European stock did not have any idea of what is a state and the competitions were ceaseless and sometimes violent. The historian Tessonnière, in his research, speaks about armed conflicts towards what was the north of Ain and the area louhannaise. Indeed, the Gallic following the ways of water, Lowen (Louhans) being with the crossroads of three rivers, underwent the by-effects of the disagreement.

About the years minus 60, the wars became ceaseless and destroying. At a certain time, for a reason which one is unaware of, Éduens penetrated in Bresse and beat Séquanes. Tribes the German ones being advanced until the south of Lorraine, Séquanes called them in reinforcement. One knows the name of their chief, Arioviste, which, with its army pushed back Éduens but then imposed on its Séquanes allies a heavy tribute. It seized a good part of their grounds and it made in the same way with Éduens overcome.

Roman domination (from less 60 to 400 after Jesus-Christ.)

At these same times, the Romain Empire started to extend his hegemony on the majority of the people surrounding the Mediterranean. The powerful legions of Rome crossed Gaulle Cisalpine and crossed the Alps to invade Gaulle Transalpine. As they were already in Lugdonum (Lyon), Séquanes and Éduens, for once reconciled and suffering under the yoke of Arioviste, called upon the soldiers of Jules César, well too happy of aubaine. Ariovist was definitively overcome and his destroyed army. But the glorious liberators imposed in their turn with the vindicatory Gallic tribes, them `Pax Romana', which made our distances ancestors of the Gallo-Roman ones.

In less 51, after the rendering of the chief arverne Vercingétorix, the legions of Jules César pacified the whole of Gaulle. The Bresse area, marshy and wooded, of difficult access, interested the Roman invader little. Elsewhere, the domination of Rome, initially terrible as long as resistance lasted, became little by little beneficial by the civilization which it brought. Laws, beliefs, manners and especially the " Pax romana" were quickly adopted, as well as the Latin language which became, later, the base of our speech. Gaulle was divided into three people: Belgian (Bituriges), Aquitanian and Celtic. The Bresse belonged to this last.

Birth of Burgondie (Burgundy) and period mérovingienne. (406 - 752)

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