dAf 89
CATTEDDU Isabelle (éd.)
Les habitats carolingiens de Montours et La Chapelle-Saint-Aubert (Ille-et-Vilaine)
From 1995 to 1997, four early medieval sites were excavated in the Fougères region as part of archaeological research work carried out prior to the construction of the A84 motorway. As the sites ail date from the same period, a comprehensive research plan was implemented from the outset, with special emphasis on paleo-environmental analysis and examination of pottery finds. Examination of the three Carolingian settlement sites, as well as a ford from the same period, reveals an organised, interactive approach to environmental management of the surrounding lands (land division, ditch systems, tracks, development of a peat covered valley floor), which were developed and systematically exploited from the 7th to 10th century.
The present volume provides a significant contribution to our understanding of early medieval rural settlements in Brittany, an area of study which has hitherto received little attention from archaeologists. The research is enhanced by an analysis of bio-archaeological data from the sites, showing the impact of agro-pastoral activities on the landscape and vegetation in nearby areas.
Abstract
Abstract
1. Introduction
Archaeological research carried out prior to the construction of the A84 'motorway link between Rennes and Avranches included excavation of three early medieval settlements located in the rural municipality of Montours. A fourth site of equal interest is located to the south in the municipality of La Chapelle-Saint- Aubert. The results presented here constitute a significant contribution to the sparse archaeological information available on the early Middle Ages in the department of Ille-et- Vilaine. Analysis of these Carolingian-period rural settlements, including work by a team of paleo-environmentalists, reveals the extent to which the surrounding environment was managed in an organised, interactive manner. The peat-covered valley floor separating the sites has provided valuable information concerning changes in vegetation over time.
2. Montours / Le Teilleul
Le Teilleul, the largest and most important of the four sites, is distinguished by a settlement laid out in regular, rectangular plots and connected by passage-ways. At one point this settlement was extended towards the north-east. Frequent changes and modifications to the plots would seem to be related to temporary changes in use. Archaeological structures on the site attest to activities specific to rural Carolingian settlements (storage, cooking and iron-working) and to specialised use of certain areas. Buildings reflect a variety of construction techniques. Pottery, more abundant here than on the other sites, appears to. date from the 8th to the 10th century period. Examination of seed and grain remains confirms the presence of a range of plants typically cultivated during the early medieval period with a preponderance of oats, as well as rye, soft wheat, bracteiferous barley and flax.
3. The wet-zone at Louvaquint / Le Teilleul
Deposits at Louvaquint and Le Teilleul are separated by a small valley through which flow two streams crossed by a metalled ford during the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. On the north bank of the Le Teilleul stream, the ford connects with a track leading to the site of the same name. The quality of the ford's construction work, and the presence of other structures (some wooden) at its edge, point to effective management of the peat-covered valley floor. Preliminary pollen analysis has allowed specialists to study changes and developments in the area's vegetation.
4. Montours / Louvaquint
Remains on the Louvaquint site, consisting primarily of ditch systems, indicate intermittent occupation of the site from the Bronze and Iron Age periods to the present day. The early medieval period (7th to 8th century) is represented by pottery found in ditches and by other structures connected to a habitation site located slightly further-east. The system of early medieval ditches links up with the one found at Le Teilleul.
5. Montours / La Talvassais
The settlement at La Talvassais, the northern and eastern limits of which are defined by a hollow-way, is located 800 metres to the south of Louvaquint and 1000 metres from Le Teilleul, with which it is probably in part contemporary. Although it was possible to identify the functions of certain areas (forge, ovens, storage structures), only part of this probably much larger site could be studied. Within the plots delimited by ditches, occupation is characterised by alternating zones of denser and weaker concentration of remains. Structures used for combustion were kept somewhat apart in a more open area. Pits, probably resulting from the extraction of materials (silts and granitic sand) used in building walls and floors, are most commonplace in the southern part of the site.
6. La Chapelle-Saint-Alibert / La Chaîne
The site. known as La Chaîne, located in the municipality of La Chapelle-Saint- Aubert, comprises a small Carolingian rural settlement where finds, albeit not very plentiful, form a homogeneous group suggesting a short-lived occupation period. Sunken features were back-filled rapidly, and no traces of crafts-working or storage structures have been found in the area studied. A building of light construction and several fireplaces are the most significant features of occupation. As at Louvaquint, there are remains of occupation from previous periods, to wit, gallo-roman features identified on the northern edge of the site.
7. The finds
In a region of France where as yet little is known about early medieval pottery, the corpus of finds from these sites where such pottery was used is of considerable interest, despite the small size of the sample. The pottery has some similarities with wares from the neighbouring kiln-sites at Guipel and Trans, from settlement sites at Janzé and Titéniac in the Ille-et-Vilaine and from certain 8th to 10th century sites in Normandy.
8. Conclusions
Organised distribution of structures; modifications to their lay-out, changes in the use of passageways and/or enlargement of plots are amongst the parameters 'which have enabled the excavators to identify the organisation and development of the sites studied. At Le Teilleul, we see how the settlement developed to its maximum size through the creation of new units and the enlargement of existing plots. The rigorously structured system used to lay out the Le Teilleul and Louvaquint sites has remained in use until the present day. In addition to the study of rural settlements, special attention has been paid to the landscape, particularly successive modifications (field systems and tracks) and evidence for agro-pastoral activities. This a field of study where the results of «bio-archaeological» analysis have proven a useful addition to the archaeological data.
The formation of peat in the wet zones begins at the end of the Neolithic period or the beginning of the Bronze Age. The effect of human occupation upon natural surroundings can be observed during this period, both from the condition of the regions' forests and the appearance of the first herbaceous ruderal plants. The first signs of limited cereal cultivation, however, do not appear before the Iron Age. From the Bronze Age until the end of the Gallo-Roman period, new species (birch and hazel) were introduced in certain areas of mixed dense oak groves cleared for that purpose. Alder groves colonised the valley floors. The Louvaquint site appears to be occupied once more from the end of the Merovingian period. Starting with the construction of the ford, significant alteration of the natural environment can be observed. The wet coppices on the valley floor recede considerably; the dense forest environment gives way to open thickets. Clearings are made in the oak groves, probably partly located on the plateau.
Occupation of the area seems to be at its height during the Carolingian era. This period of intense agricultural activity is followed by a clear decline; by the 10th century, when the site is abandoned, wet coppices have once again developed in the valley. Neither archival sources nor archaeological evidence provides any explanation for the displacement of the habitation site during the tenth century. Pollen diagrams indicate that at a later date, perhaps around the 16th or 17th century, a truly agrarian landscape reappears, in which the development of oak trees in some locations may be related to the introduction of hedged fields.
Excavations at Montours have brought to light evidence for both continuity and discontinuity in the occupation of the area and, in so doing, raise the question of whether or not these rural habitats coexisted. Even if some questions remain unanswered, the results obtained here constitute a significant advance in archaeologists' understanding of early medieval farming settlements in Brittany, a field which has hitherto received little scholarly attention.
