France: Discovery of an important site in Gaelic

A large Gallic rural complex as well as two rare fragments of statues were discovered in Artenay, 110 kilometers southwest of Paris, during excavations, the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) announced Tuesday.

Prior to the development of the activity area, excavations, which should be completed at the end of July, revealed two important agricultural sites in Boss.

The main building was surrounded by huge moats about three meters deep and eight meters wide, which belonged to the wealthy of Gaul.

“It is the owner’s desire to demonstrate his social status and power,” explains the site’s manager, Jean-Philippe Gay.

“The richer it is, the more it shows with deep ditches. The architecture is designed to impress you. When you reach the entrance to the fence, a whole system is imposed on you [le visiteur, NDLR] To see things in a certain way and view the property,” sets out this specialist in the initial history, who with his team reconstructed the layout of the buildings.

Among the furniture found, archaeologists made two “major” finds, according to Enrab. The first is a fragment of a Celtic-style statue. On the limestone block, hands are carved on the stomach. Behind his back, two deer collided.

The second terracotta element, also in Celtic style, represents a bearded figure with bulging eyes.

Despite their Celtic style, these two very rare things are actually from Gaul lore, according to scholars from Inrap.

Development work is scheduled to begin in September.

The public will be able to visit the Artenay site, as well as about fifteen other excavation sites in France, from Friday to Sunday, during European archaeological days.