Archaeology Hotspot France by Georgina Muskett

Author:Georgina Muskett [Muskett, Georgina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2018-02-15T05:00:00+00:00

Early Medieval France

Although Roman Gaul did not formally come to an end until AD 486 with the victory of the Franks at the Battle of Soissons, it had been preceded by a period of decline. The fifth century AD in Western Europe was characterized by the movement of non-Gallic people into Gaul. Vandals, Alans, and Suevi entered Gaul from Germania, crossing into modern-day Spain in AD 407. From the south, following their sack of Rome in AD 410, the Visigoths entered Gaul in AD 412. The Visigoths subsequently invaded modern-day Spain in AD 415, but in AD 418 they withdrew back into Gaul and established a capital at Tolosa, modern-day Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). Other groups of non-Gallic people were the Burgundians, who settled in the areas around the rivers Saône and Rhône; and the Alamanni, who moved into Alsace. The Franks settled in northern France, in the modern-day Ile-de-France region.

There is little archaeological evidence for the presence of any Visigoths in southwest Gaul in the fifth century AD. An exception is the series of carved stone sarcophagi often given the names “Visigothic,” “Aquitanian,” or “southwest Gallic,” found in the area known as Septimania, which was regarded as part of Gaul in the fifth century AD. The borders of Septimania were defined by the Massif Central to the north, the Pyrenees to the west and south, and the Camargue marshes to the east. The “Visigothic sarcophagi” were usually made from marble quarried in the commune of Saint-Béat (Haute-Garonne). Carved in very low relief, the earlier sarcophagi are fairly plain, with typical decoration being apostles under a row of arches, whereas the later type are more ornate and feature vine decoration. The main centers of production were Narbonne (Aude) and Béziers (Hérault), although sarcophagi have also been found in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), and Bordeaux (Gironde). It seems clear that Narbonne-based artisans specialized in sarcophagi with ivy-branch decoration, made from local marble quarried at the nearby commune of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières (Hérault), as opposed to the Saint-Béat marble used elsewhere. Five examples of this type of sarcophagus are in the Musée Lapidaire at Narbonne.

Another characteristic object were the “Aquitanian buckles,” large bronze buckles with a tinned surface, decorated with incised geometric and animal motifs. A particular type of buckle had a beak-like projection, and the distribution of finds suggests they may have been worn by locally recruited troops who defended Toulouse and the Garonne valley from attacks from the Visigoths of Septimania. The distribution of Visigothic objects in southern Gaul suggests that production of rectangular cloisonné belt buckles was divided between modern-day Spain and Septimania. Simpler buckles and radiate-headed brooches may well have been made locally. The buckles are found along the coast from Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) to Montpellier (Hérault), with others around Carcassonne (Aude) and Albi (Tarn). Finds from excavations at the commune of Giroussens (Tarn) suggest that it was probably a Visigothic cemetery, a rare Visigothic site found in Frankish territory. Few Visigothic objects are found elsewhere in Aquitaine, two fine exceptions being a

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