Geographical approaches and first thoughts on sea and sea-river ports locations in Brittany, from protohistory to the modern age
Approches géographiques et premières réflexions sur l’emplacement des ports maritimes et fluvio-maritimes de Bretagne, de la Protohistoire à l’époque moderne
Résumé
Due to its strategic location and its 3,300 km of coastline, the Breton peninsula has always played an important role in trade by sea. Although this observation has been established on many occasions and for different chronological periods, concrete knowledge of the location of ancient, protohistoric or historical port sites on the Channel and the Atlantic coasts remains limited. For example, for the Roman era, although more than ten Roman harbour sites are attested between the Rance estuary to the north and the Vilaine estuary to the southwest in early documents, their archaeological evidence remains rather slight. Our difficulty in detecting them undoubtedly stems in part from the fact that historians and archaeologists have long focused on the search for harbour facilities, thus missing a whole series of palaeoports. However, in addition to harbour facilities which modify the environment, what characterizes a port first and foremost is a natural setting —geographical, but also meteorological— likely to favor the docking, embarkation or disembarkation of goods and of people —moles, dikes, quays, piers, pontoons, warehouses, ramps, wharfs, etc. In light of these observations and following work initiated several years ago by a number of colleagues, a group of researchers has set up a GIS tool with the aim of promoting an initial consideration of the sectors conducive to the development of former harbour activities. Using a multi-criterion spatial analysis, the aim was to achieve a better understanding of the harbour potential and of Breton palaeoports —ports still active, relic ports and fossil ports. Note that this contribution is not intended to address the case of harbour facilities, an essential question that will have to be answered in a second phase and which will necessarily involve field operations —surveys and excavations. Instead, it focuses on the natural conditions affecting site location and the many geographic facies of the Breton coast, from protohistory to modern times. Through its jagged coasts and coastal rivers, this coastline presents a real morphological diversity —islands, capes, points, bays, coves, creeks, river estuaries, beaches and shores— offering as many harbour opportunities —anchorages, beaching, docking, etc. Depending on the geographical characteristics of the sites encountered and their conservation context, this archeogeographical approach should ultimately allow better definition of the zones requiring protection in order to orient planning policies and research programmes by means of an appropriate methodology and specially adapted protocols.
Forte de ses 3 300 km de côtes, la péninsule bretonne de par son implantation stratégique a toujours joué un rôle important en termes d’échanges commerciaux par voie de mer. À travers cette contribution, il n’est nullement question d’aborder le cas des équipements portuaires —môles, digues, quais, jetées, etc.—, une question essentielle à laquelle il faudra répondre dans un second temps, mais bien d’insister sur les conditions naturelles d’implantation et les nombreux faciès géographiques du littoral breton, de la Protohistoire jusqu’à l’époque moderne. À travers ses côtes découpées et ses fleuves côtiers, ce littoral présente une réelle diversité morphologique —îles, caps, pointes, baies, plages, etc.—, préfigurant autant d’opportunités portuaires —mouillage, échouage, accostage, etc. L’analyse spatiale multicritère présentée ici vise à nourrir une première réflexion sur les secteurs propices au développement d’activités portuaires anciennes. L’objectif est d’arriver à une meilleure appréhension du potentiel portuaire et des paléoports bretons —ports encore actifs, ports reliques et ports fossiles—. En fonction des caractéristiques géographiques des sites rencontrés et de leur contexte de conservation, cette approche archéogéographique doit permettre, à terme, de mieux définir les zonages de protection afin d’orienter les politiques de prescription et la recherche programmée, au moyen d’une méthodologie et de protocoles adaptés.
| Origine | Publication financée par une institution |
|---|---|
| Licence |