From latrine to bench: recent original discoveries at the ‘Route Nationale’ site in Saint-Romain-en-Gal (Rhône)
De la latrine au banc : découvertes originales récentes sur le site de "Route Nationale" à Saint-Romain-en-Gal (Rhône)
Résumé
The ‘Route Nationale’ preventive archaeological dig carried out in 2019–2020 at Saint-Romain-en-Gal has uncovered a large number of remains illustrating part of the urban occupation that developed in this sector during the Early Empire. Situated on the right bank of the Rhône, on the alluvial plain, this site is of particular importance because of its complex topography, inherited from shifts of the river’s course and the presence of a thalweg. These natural constraints were quickly overcome by the various occupations that ensued. As early as the end of the La Tène period, the lower levels were filled in and kept clear of the water, and then various terraces were built during the urban expansion of ancient Vienna from the second half of the 1st century AD. The site is located in a rich and well-documented archaeological context in a sector that is generally interpreted as corresponding to mainly residential areas. The plots of land investigated are located just over a 100 m south of the monumental complex of the baths of the Mirror Palace and the archaeological site-museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal. The site under study straddles two terrace levels overlooking the Rhône by a few metres. The main marker of this boundary is a long retaining wall, 83 m long and 3 m high. To the west, the upper terrace is home to a number of residential lots, occupied by wealthy domus built alongside a major ancient road running through the district. This sector was partly studied during the diagnostic phases and by a salvage excavation carried out on the adjoining plots to the south-west (‘Barreau’ site). The preventive operation only very partially reached this floor. There are a number of masonry structures delimiting a series of rooms adjoining the western edge of the terrace wall. Some of the spaces thus delimited are probably linked to the dwellings, but perhaps also to the neighbouring monumental bath-house to the north. A monumental staircase provided access between the two levels and partially covered a network of pipes for draining wastewater to the river below to the east. The lower terrace had no buildings on it, apart from the extension of the aforementioned drains. It revealed a significant stratification consisting of a pile of fill gradually raising the traffic levels at the foot of the wall. The large volume of varied finds has enabled us to refine the chronology of occupation and document the daily life and standard of living of the occupants of the upper terrace. The first buildings were erected from the middle of the 1st century AD and the site developed throughout the following century before declining and being abandoned for good in the early decades of the 3rd century. A number of intriguing features were uncovered during the excavation, which could indicate the presence of latrines on the site or at least in the immediate vicinity. These include the discovery, on the upper terrace, of a massive broken block with a gully, associated with a limestone basin, all of which stood above a drain hole placed above a drain running through the terrace wall during the first half of the 2nd century. Isolated on the lower terrace, a monumental bench was surprisingly found in its functional position, albeit at a slight angle. It is made up of reused lapidary elements: a large block with a polished upper surface and a moulded front surface acts as a seat, while the feet are made up of two blocks moulded on their front surface, with a profile above a plinth, a straight heel and an inverted heel. They are set into rough-cut recesses on the lower surface of the previous large block and are arranged head to tail. The lapidary study by M. Ribolet revealed a similarity with latrine supports discovered at Saint-Romain-en-Gal in the Wrestlers’ Baths (Thermes des Lutteurs). Although the site concerned only a small part of the built-up area of this residential district resulting from the gradual expansion of the ancient town, it has nevertheless yielded tangible evidence of the presence of latrines. These features could have been part of a private facility, linked to one of the wealthy dwellings on the upper terrace, but they could also have been part of the public sphere, perhaps linked to the monumental thermal complex of the Mirror Palace, which borders the site to the north. The discovery of latrine brackets reused as bench feet during the 3rd century lends credence to the latter hypothesis.
La fouille archéologique préventive de “Route Nationale” à Saint-Romain-en-Gal (Rhône) a révélé une occupation urbaine alto-impériale riche en vestiges, parmi lesquels on distingue quelques structures évoquant la présence de latrines. Situé en rive droite du Rhône, ce site présente une topographie complexe, avec des terrasses aménagées surplombant le fleuve, et se trouve implanté à proximité immédiate des thermes monumentaux du Palais du Miroir. Les découvertes comprennent un mur de soutènement massif délimitant deux niveaux de terrasse reliés par un escalier. Le niveau supérieur accueille plusieurs îlots d’habitation occupés par de riches domus implantées en bord de voie, tandis que la terrasse inférieure est vierge de toute construction, hormis le prolongement d’un réseau de canalisations d’évacuation des eaux usées dirigé vers le Rhône à l’est. Quelques aménagements hydrauliques intrigants, notamment un bloc massif taillé d’une rigole et un bassin creusé, ont été partiellement dégagés en limite occidentale de l’emprise. Ces éléments pourraient indiquer la présence de latrines, bien que leur plan exact demeure très incomplet. De plus, la découverte d’un banc en pierre constitué d’éléments de support remployés pourrait suggérer le démantèlement de structures similaires, peut-être des latrines publiques, au IIIe s. p.C.
| Origine | Accord explicite pour ce dépôt |
|---|---|
| Licence |