A Gallo-Roman villa at Damblain in the Vosges department
On line since July 20, 2009 · Updated September 17, 2009
An archaeological evaluation undertaken in advance of the redevelopment of the former Damblain air base by Vosges County Council, has found Gallo-Roman and Medieval occupations extending over a surface of five hectares. Full excavation has been organised in two seasons, in 2008 and 2009.
Most of the remains found at Damblain belong to a Gallo-Roman villa a large part of which has been examined. Both the chronological and the environmental evolutions of this large area have been treated. During the first excavation season, between May and October 2008, a surface of three hectares was explored.
Most of the remains found at Damblain belong to a Gallo-Roman villa a large part of which has been examined. Both the chronological and the environmental evolutions of this large area have been treated. During the first excavation season, between May and October 2008, a surface of three hectares was explored.
The pars urbana of the Gallo-Roman villa
The first discovery was the pars urbana of a Gallo-Roman villa, that is to say the master's house within a large agricultural domain. This large building, excavated in its entirety, was organized around a rectangular courtyard with a north-south orientation and consisted of three wings forming a U shape, 55 m long and 50 m wide. The plan of this villa is atypical due to the dissymmetry of its component parts and the presence of a long enclosure wall extending from the eastern wing, probably the result of an unfinished architectural programme.
While the eastern and northern wings were partially damaged by the construction of the air base, the western wing is remarkably well preserved. It ends with an apse and opens onto the central courtyard through a gallery on the facade. In addition to a cellar and diverse living quarters, a bath house was discovered.
While the eastern and northern wings were partially damaged by the construction of the air base, the western wing is remarkably well preserved. It ends with an apse and opens onto the central courtyard through a gallery on the facade. In addition to a cellar and diverse living quarters, a bath house was discovered.
The bath house
The bath house comprised four rooms, three of which were heated by a hypocaust (floor heating) system and its praefurnium (stoke hole). The floors, made from concrete with pottery inclusions, supported by small sandstone and ceramic posts are very well preserved, as are the caniculi (ceramic flues) for the evacuation of hot smoke.
The first room, square in plan, corresponds to a changing and relaxing room. Elements of a suspended ceiling were found on ceramic plaques that had fallen to the floor. This ceiling was covered with plaster decorated with a painted white background and a geometric "network" motif in red, yellow and green. Meticulous excavation of the plaster fragments made it possible for archaeologists to reconstruct the decoration.
The changing room opens onto another room corresponding to a cold bath with an opus sectile (pavement) floor of fine black, white, gray and red stones. The bases of the walls were covered with white limestone slabs and mouldings, while the upper parts seem to have been decorated with plaster panels painted yellow and green. This room extends into a rectangular basin visible as a protuberance outside the building. This basin (2.25 m long, 1.75 m wide and 1.5 m deep) was used for cold or lukewarm baths. It was entered by a corner stairway.
In the contiguous warm room, there was no bath and the floor was in opus sectile. The bases of the walls were decorated with limestone slabs placed against the caniculi.
The last room was the sauna, equipped with a hot basin and an individual bath, 2.10 m long and 1 m wide. Its rounded contour in concrete with pottery inclusions, masks an initial mosaic covering. The floor of the room was a polished concrete with pottery inclusions, which covered the suspensura of the hypocaust. The wall over the bath was decorated with a mosaic, showing a high level of luxury.
The first room, square in plan, corresponds to a changing and relaxing room. Elements of a suspended ceiling were found on ceramic plaques that had fallen to the floor. This ceiling was covered with plaster decorated with a painted white background and a geometric "network" motif in red, yellow and green. Meticulous excavation of the plaster fragments made it possible for archaeologists to reconstruct the decoration.
The changing room opens onto another room corresponding to a cold bath with an opus sectile (pavement) floor of fine black, white, gray and red stones. The bases of the walls were covered with white limestone slabs and mouldings, while the upper parts seem to have been decorated with plaster panels painted yellow and green. This room extends into a rectangular basin visible as a protuberance outside the building. This basin (2.25 m long, 1.75 m wide and 1.5 m deep) was used for cold or lukewarm baths. It was entered by a corner stairway.
In the contiguous warm room, there was no bath and the floor was in opus sectile. The bases of the walls were decorated with limestone slabs placed against the caniculi.
The last room was the sauna, equipped with a hot basin and an individual bath, 2.10 m long and 1 m wide. Its rounded contour in concrete with pottery inclusions, masks an initial mosaic covering. The floor of the room was a polished concrete with pottery inclusions, which covered the suspensura of the hypocaust. The wall over the bath was decorated with a mosaic, showing a high level of luxury.
The pars rustica of the Gallo-Roman villa
To the east of the main building, a group of buildings corresponds to the pars rustica of the agricultural domain (craft workshops and agricultural buildings). The 2009 excavation season gave the archaeologists the opportunity to complete information on this part of the villa and thus obtain a global view of the ensemble.
This agricultural domain seems to have been active during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Post excavation work will provide a more precise chronology of the site. A paved road, which can be followed for nearly 300 m, forms the northern limit of the villa. Toward the west, it passes near a small Gallo-Roman building with a rectangular plan and constructed on a stone foundation. Inside this building, the presence of a paved foundation and a deposit of glass vases and animal bones suggest a religious or funerary function.
This agricultural domain seems to have been active during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Post excavation work will provide a more precise chronology of the site. A paved road, which can be followed for nearly 300 m, forms the northern limit of the villa. Toward the west, it passes near a small Gallo-Roman building with a rectangular plan and constructed on a stone foundation. Inside this building, the presence of a paved foundation and a deposit of glass vases and animal bones suggest a religious or funerary function.
The Medieval remains
At this stage of research, medieval occupation of the site has been observed mostly on the edge of the paved road in the pars rustica area of the villa. It consists of craft workshop structures. In another sector of the excavation, isolated to the north-west of the villa, a cemetery composed of 18 burials was discovered. The funerary objects found can be dated to the 7th century AD. The tombs were oriented east-west and aligned on the western slope of a small valley. They were covered with a small soil mound and then a layer of limestone fragments. In a second phase, the stone mounds seem to have been reused as a minor path.
Research continues and the site of Damblain has not finished revealing its many secrets...
Research continues and the site of Damblain has not finished revealing its many secrets...
Developer
Conseil général des Vosges
Site Director
Karine Boulanger, Inrap
Karine Boulanger, site director