dAf 101
FAU Laurent. dir.
Les Monts d’Aubrac au Moyen Âge
Genèse d’un monde agropastoral
The Aubrac plateau and its foothills have been studied by a multi-disciplinary team of archaeologists, historians, ethnologists and environmentalists. This research has shown that the region, despite its reputation as a hostile environment for humans, has a surprisingly rich archaeological potential. Numerous written documents and an exceptionally well preserved environment allowed the spatiotemporal framework of this research to be defined. This work shows how the Domerie (hospital) of Aubrac, which amassed numerous pasturelands, fossilized the habitat since the High Middle Ages. It presents the forms of agropastoral habitats that existed during the 11th to13th centuries, which is one of the major themes of this study. Through the study of permanent (mas) and temporary (buron) agricultural exploitation sites, located between 1100 and 1300 m altitude, it contributes to our knowledge of a rural mountain society during the Middle Ages. Résumé
Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Despite its reputation as a depopulated region with a cold, harsh climate, Aubrac possesses a rich archaeological potential, especially for the Medieval period. Since 1994, the discovery of tens of permanent habitat sites and proto-industry sites, along with hundreds of temporary habitats, has completed past historic and ethnological studies. The work of a multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, historians, ethnologists and environmentalists, has allowed these new data to be replaced in their context and a mountain region during the Medieval period to be presented.
1 – Geography and geomorphology
The Aubrac region, consisting of a vast plateau that is granitic to the east and basaltic to the west, is connected to the Lot River in the south by deep valleys (the Boraldes) and isthmuses (the Serres). The natural presence of calibrated stone blocks on the surface of the plateau constituted a stock of material used by humans for the construction of stone buildings. An analysis of the landscape during recent periods was conducted based on a known palynological reference base and the study of several peat bogs. It showed that the first signs of land clearing occured between the 9th and 4th centuries B.C., while the great deforestation phase related to pastoralism was identified between the 7th and 12th centuries A.D.
2 – Aubrac before the arrival of the monks
The prehistoric sites of the Neolithic period are concentrated in the Boraldes and are related to the extraction of materials. During the Roman period, the plateau was crossed by a large road leading from Lyon to Spain; an associated relay stop was also identified. The site of the lake of Saint-Andéol, cited by Grégoire de Tours, yielded ex-votos of the Protohistoric period. A nearby antique temple was excavated in the 1950’s. During the 11th century, secular lordships, such as that of the Canilhas in Auvergne, the Peyres in Févaudan and the Calmonts in Rouergue, shared the Aubrac region.
3 – Aubrac during the period of the Domerie
The Aubrac hospital, related to the Way of Saint James pilgrimage, was established during the 11th century in a region controlled by numerous secular lordships. It absorbed a numerous plateau estates, which it improved by transforming them into pasturelands. Its extension was not limited to the Aubrac plateau, with many possessions located in Gévaudan, Auvergne and Rouergue. A transhumance linked to both Languedoc and Quercy brought hundreds of sheep to the Domerie. Located in the Aubrac region, the hospital included numerous constructions: in addition to the church and conventional buildings (cloister, dormitory, hall, etc.), there is a hostelry and a hospital for the poor. The ensemble is protected by fortifications (wall, towers). Several of these buildings, such as the church, the Tower of the English and the hostelry, are still visible today. The Domerie established a web of protection through a network of monastic granges. The population was distributed among a few villages and on farms, and exploited essentially pastoral lands. Starting in the 13th century, the specialization of breeding oriented the production of the region.
4 – Permanent habitats
This historical, environmental and archaeological study contributed to our knowledge of a series of agropastoral exploitations (mas) dated to the 11th to 13th centuries, and located at over 1200 m altitude. This rural habitat corresponds to a permanent implantation on the plateau, which was fossilized by the pasturelands in the High Middle Ages. A wave of colonization, probably due to a significant demographic increase during the 11th century, led to the conquest of areas that had until then remained uninhabited, such as the Aubrac highlands. This colonization probably continued for a century before giving way to the vast pasturelands implanted by the hospital of Aubrac. Medieval texts concerning rural habitats are rare. Nonetheless, some describe the civil architecture of Aubrac as early as the 12th century, and thus contribute valuable information that confirms the archaeological data.
A vast survey, accompanied by a series of archaeological test pits, revealed around twenty agricultural exploitations and their environment. Several characteristics, such as the inclusion of the habitat and stable under the same roof, the burying of buildings, the modes of construction, modified entrances, etc., attest to an architecture adapted to the mountain environment. The roofs of the habitats were made of vegetal materials, probably rye thatch. An ethnological study describes the last coverings of this type still present today on some buildings in the Cantal department. The timberwork system, supported on the load-bearing walls, did not require posts and thus freed up interior space.
5 – Temporary habitats
Temporary habitats and pastoralism are often mentioned in the texts, especially for the modern period: rental contracts and notary acts provide information concerning the exploitation system of the Aubrac “mountains”. An ethnographic study conducted by the CNRS around twenty years ago completes this multi-disciplinary approach. The shepherd’s cabins (buron in French, Mazuc in occitan) were constructed from perishable materials or in stone starting in the 17th century to house the shepherds and fabricate cheese. The mazucs were often reconstructed in a different place each year so that the flocks could manure the entire mountain. Several archaeological test excavations clarified the architectural characteristics of these constructions and yielded objects attributable to the 17th and 18th centuries (bowl, stemmed glass, etc.).
6 – Craftsmanship and proto-industry
The traces of craftsmanship and proto-industry present in the Boralde valley of Aubrac reveal the presence of mines and iron and glass working shops; woodcutters and wood turners are also mentioned. The partial excavation of a 14th century glass working shop revealed the production of glasses decorated with blue lines whose chemical analysis indicates a Mediterranean influence. The buildings, composed of at least two ovens and a grinding mill, are very well preserved.
Synthesis
The unexpected richness of the Aubrac region is revealed by the discovery of numerous archaeological sites, as well as its written documentation, ethnological heritage and environment. This multi-disciplinary study contributes to our knowledge of the Medieval occupation of this region. Among the numerous results of this study, the Medieval permanent mountain habitat has proven to be a major element.
