The Pech Maho trip
This summer, I make an archaeogical excavations on the site of Port-la-Nautique on an roman fishpond. With the archeologist's team, we make an escursion on the north of Narbonne, near the city of Sigean. Through a luxuriant countryside, between trees and rocks of mediterranean relief, we discovered old ruins of an ancient city whose name is Pech Maho.
In the foreground, we can see an aerial view of the oppidum of Pech Maho.
From East, three great walls face us. The old ruins become integrated perfectly with the Mediterranean landscape. It is about a old Greek construction which was a former commercial crossroads. In the western extremity of the massif of Corbières, Pech Maho closes southward the plain of Narbonnais. The oppidum is situated at present on a hill of low height on the bank of the small coastal river Berre, near the pond of Sigean. Indeed, Pech Maho was situated in an axis East/ West which connected the Iberic peninsula with the rest of Europe. The antique and protohistoric landscape had to consist in the time of a series of islands, spread in this vast stretch of water communicating with the sea. This zone of interface enters river environment, lagunaire and marine, favored the development of active exchanges between natives and Mediterranean sailors, at a moment when develops on the coast of Languedoc the Phocaean business, in particular that of Marseille. The situation of the oppidum of Pech Maho permitted it to be well defended.
The photography shows the powerful defense of the old city. Three great walls follow one another, forming an impressive defensive system.
Thanks to this geographical situation, the city became a place of exchanges. A port downstream to the city served to bring foodstuffs coming of all mediterranean basin. Upstream, the city grouped spaces for markets. We practised the business on a zone suited in the city which we call: the agora. The origin of the city appears with the occupation of an iberian tribe which the historians call Elisyques. The archaeologists consider the creation of Pech Maho build in VIth century before J.-C. The first phase of the city was the creation of a defensive system. A set of pits and of fences was built at the top of a headland. The archaeologists consider this space as an oppidum. In the middle of this set, rectangular housing environments were found.The defensive system of places results in the setting-up of the tribe of Elisyque. To defend their people and their commercial interest, they was obliged to create fortifications.
The second phase of Pech Maho begins in Vth century before J.-C. It consists in a better development of the fortifications, in a creation of a stone surrounding speaker. A main street is created in the center of the oppidum. Houses develop along this axis. The town planning better formed itself. There is a specialization of certain parts of the city according to the discovery of ovens, grindstone and stone-cutters' tools.
We can see a very structured urbanization.
The third phase of Pech Maho begins in IIIth century before J.-C. It consists in a strengthening of the fortifications. Three powerful bulwarks are built, as well as a monumental tower. The relations with the Iberic peninsula become intensified, as well as testify of it of series very varied by iberian or Punic amphoras. But the italic contributions remain not less considerable there: campaniennes ceramic and the Greco-italic amphoras reach in large number on the oppidum.
We can perceive in the foreground, the ruins of the defensive and monumental tower of Pech Maho.
The last phase of the antic city was very short. The historians estimate this period enter 200 and 175 before J.-C. In spite of this period reduced enough by the life of the city, we know a big part of phase of the fact that there was of numerous archaeological, during series of excavations between 2004 and 2011. During this period, particular events passed. It is about banquets, about sacrifices of horses and about heroic buchers. But the event most standing the out with this period stays the fast destruction of the city. The site is attacked and widely destroyed by fire, work of an aggressor possessing machines of jets. Coal nuts and lines of catapult found in the levels of destruction of the oppidum are a convincing indication. The archaeology revealed the tracks of rites mixing animal sacrifices, banquets and cremation of human spoils, carrying weapons, clothes and jewels, in honour of persons credibly died during the fights. Pech Maho is not a simple sanctuary but becomes maybe a hérôon. It's a building considered as the grave of a hero, of a mortal one deified, to whom we return a cult.
The archaeological researches revealed this kind of buchers. The "heroes" were cremated with their armors and their weapons as we can see it on the photography.
On the site, the antique population practised sacrifices of animals. It is about offerings for the Gods.
The site seems to have been voluntarily buried by elevations in the Roman period, letting suppose an action deliberated to erase the memory.This destruction and the exodus of the population coincides with the Punic wars which set Rome and Carthage to whom is ally Volques people , recently arrived in the region. Then the region will see becoming established Romain who are going to make of Narbonna their prefecture since which they are going to dominate the Narbonnasia's Gaul.
Actually, The site is at present visible with walls restored in the concrete. He is not free of access to the public, but can be visited accompanied with a guide from the museum of Sigean which collects collections stemming from these excavations.
The successive series of excavations led on this archeological site since 1948 allowed to kick away the major part of ramparts and housing environments of a pre-Roman oppidum and in particular to highlight last moments of occupation of this site which was brutally given up after dramatic events: destruction, fire and credibly commemorative ceremony.
