| The main enclosure is remarkably straight-sided. This could be a festive enclosure, or one belonging to the Gallic nobility. Vers-sur-Selle (Somme). |
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| Gallic settlements : Large geometric enclosures |
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Recently, J. L. Brunaux (2000)
has demonstrated the symbolic function of all types of enclosures, even apparently utilitarian ones. This is obvious for the small ritual and funerary enclosures — it was necessary to separate the world of the living from that of the dead. It is also true for the large enclosures for dwellings, since the enclosure was a symbol of ownership and therefore exclusion. J.L. Brunaux has shown that the infrequent regularity of the large enclosures is an indicator that they belonged to the aristocracy.
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Certain geometric enclosures could define "festive spaces" that were used for hospitality rituals of the Gallic nobility, with banquets and libations, as material discovered in filled-in pits seems to indicate. Among other things, these have revealed a number of fragments of amphoras imported from distant places. Some of these quadrangular geometric enclosures also contained necropoli, with or without sanctuaries.
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| This very regular enclosure could be that of a festive space or a Gallic necropolis. La Chaussée-Tirancourt (Somme). |
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An exceptional site — which was the object of a rescue archaeology campaign — along the path where a high-speed train line crossed the Aronde River. Montmartin (Oise). |
The case of Montmartin (Oise)
This is a rich aristocratic habitation from the third and second century BCE, which was excavated and published by J. L. Brunaux (1996) It features several enclosures subdividing the space into hierarchical sections.
The central enclosure is the most regular and the most carefully tended. A public and cultural space was found here, along with a small temple. A large adjoining space disclosed traces of complex practices such as the preparation of corpses.
In warrior society of the Gauls, religious rites were always present. The archaeological finds were particularly abundant, revealing — among other things — the presence of craft activities (pottery production,
metallurgy, etc.).
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