Article Dans Une Revue Aquitania Année : 2024

The latrines of the Ausci: from the protohistorical agglomeration of Roquelaure to the Roman city of Auch

Latrines chez les Ausci, de l’agglomération protohistorique de Roquelaure à la ville romaine d’Auch

Résumé

The question of ancient latrines has rarely been raised in the southern Aquitaine region, owing to the paucity of archaeological data. Research in the Auch region over the last twenty years has nevertheless revealed several features dating from the late Iron Age to the Roman period. These include the hilltop settlement of Roquelaure and the ancient city of Auch. These two centres of occupation undoubtedly played in turn the role of political centres for the Ausci. At Roquelaure, the probable chief town of the Ausci during the Iron Age, recent excavations have revealed a large, densely occupied settlement from the 6th century BC to the early Roman period. A series of pits dating from the end of the Iron Age are compatible with the function of latrines. They are mostly square or rectangular in shape and carefully laid out, in marked contrast to the other structures found on the site. Moreover, their dimensions and depths are comparable, and they were intentionally dug into the rock between 0.40 and 0.74 m. Finally, in two cases, bedded fillings were observed, testifying to the same sedimentation process. A carpological study will shortly be carried out on samples of sediment from these pits. As in the case of VieilleToulouse, the nature of the seeds and the way in which they have been preserved will be arguments in favour of (or against) their interpretation. Further south, the ancient city of Auch stretches across the plain on the banks of the River Gers, with a very regular urban layout from the end of the 1st century BC, and its main public monuments from around AD 30/40. On this site, we are sorely lacking in information about private latrines, but the discovery of connections to the sewage system shows that many houses were equipped with them. On the other hand, the remains located in the north-west corner of the forum undoubtedly correspond to a public atrine. They were uncovered during an archaeological survey, in one of the evaluation trenches. The amenities discovered lie to the south of a road that had been laid during a previous phase. The infrastructure is bounded to the north by a wall pierced by a conduit connected to a gutter lining the track. On the inside, a sewer runs along the wall. The floor is made up of large limestone slabs from two successive phases. They are placed in staggered rows and the row next to the sewer reveals a gutter, probably used to run water for users’ to wash off. Above the drain, a bench would have been fitted with holes, but this has now disappeared. The material found allows us to date the layout and the first phase of use to a period between the 1st and end of the 3rd century AD. The infrastructure was then maintained until the end of the 4th century, when it was abandoned (late 4th–early 5th century). All in all, recent research in the Auch area has revealed the previously unsuspected existence of various amenities in urban contexts as early as the 4th–3rd century BC.

Les recherches récentes menées dans la région d’Auch ont révélé des vestiges de latrines antiques. Les plus anciennes se situent sur l’oppidum de Roquelaure, agglomération occupée densément entre le vie s. a.C. et le début de l’époque romaine. Plusieurs fosses pourraient correspondre à des latrines à la fin de l’âge du Fer. Elles sont alignées, soigneusement taillées dans le substrat de calcaire et, pour certaines, comblées à l’aide de couches fines et litées, caractéristiques de tels contextes. À Auch, chef-lieu des Ausci à l’époque romaine, une latrine publique a été identifiée dans la partie nord-ouest du forum. Elle comprend un sol dallé, un égout sur lequel était disposé une banquette, aujourd’hui disparue, et une arrivée d’eau. Ce dispositif évolue en plusieurs phases du ier au ive s. p.C.

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Dates et versions

hal-05032678 , version 1 (14-04-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-05032678 , version 1

Citer

Philippe Gardes, Frédérique Durand, Wilfried Labarthe, Pascal Lotti, Pierre Péfau. Latrines chez les Ausci, de l’agglomération protohistorique de Roquelaure à la ville romaine d’Auch. Aquitania, 2024, 40, pp.435-449. ⟨hal-05032678⟩
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