Buried in the old silted bed of a stream, the current excavation revealed a wreck of the 7th-8th century, preserved over 12m long. The first observations return a robust boat, able to sail on the Garonne and coasting along the Atlantic coast.

 

Commissioned and financed by the Regional Archaeological Service (DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine) and realized by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), this excavation is carried out upstream of a development project carried out by Nhood.

A bateau sur la Garonne aux VIIe and VIIIe centuries 

Kept on 12 meters long, its initial size can be estimated at about fifteen meters. Radiocarbon dating attributes this boat to the VIIe-VIIIe centuries, which makes it a exceptional testimony to the naval architecture of the early Middle Ages.

The first observations on the wreck (presence of a keel, assembly of pieces of wood, dimensions and number of frames, etc.) make it possible to return a robust boat (sailing load) able to sail on the Garonne but also to do cabotage on the Atlantic coast. The presence of a floor indicates that this boat could carry bulk cargo. The wreckage is in good condition and some fittings such as ropes are still present inside. In the absence of sufficient written sources and wrecks, the modes of navigation at that time are still very little known, this discovery will lead to develop this field of research.

A technical operation requiring rigorous protocols

The wreck will be fully cleared and documented by photo surveys, 3D restitution, topography and recording of the various pieces of wood. It will be disassembled and numbered piece by piece. This dismantling will allow to analyze in detail the construction of the boat, operation essential to determine the naval architectural tradition to which it is attached.

Deux photos de l'espace de travail des archéologues

A wreck in its environment

The existence of a small port, near the mouth of a side river to the Garonne, in a marshy area exploited since ancient times and throughout the medieval period, indicates that these seemingly uninteresting sectors are actually exploited for their many resources. In addition to the clearing and material preservation of the wreck, this archaeological intervention already allows us to understand its environment and the reasons for its presence in these places.

Computerizedwe watchance ROUGE Heatwave

Due to the RED vigilance of several departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Gironde, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Charente and Charente-Maritime) public events held outside or in non-climatised premises will be prohibited from 17 June 14:00 until the end of the heatwave.

Visit the wreck on the occasion of theeuropean archaeology!

Affiche de la fouille de Villenave pour les journées européennes de l'archéologie

From 17 to 19 June, the European Days of Archeology (JEA) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine offer you the unique opportunity to explore the past, from the oldest to the most recent, through a program as rich as our archaeological heritage.  
Exceptionally, this excavation opens its doors for a visit commented by the archaeologists of Inrap.

> Saturday 18 June from 10h to 12h/ 13h to 15h and 15h to 17h (Registration required here)

The visit of Saturday, June 18 is cancelled due to of the passage in vigilance ROUGE heatwave, a new date will be proposed later !

 

 

 

Vue d'ensemble sur l'épave

Project management and scientific control: Hélène Maveraud-Tardiveau and Loïc Daverat (Regional Archaeological Service (DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Search Lead: Laurent Grimbert (Inrap)
Naval Architecture Specialists: Marc Guyon (Inrap) and Eric Rieth (CNRS)

The Service reDRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region of Archaeology (SRA)

Within the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the SRA has about forty agents, spread over the three sites of Bordeaux, Poitiers and Limoges, combining scientific skills and territorial proximity. It processes more than 5,000 accommodation files, 422 diagnostic prescriptions and 98 excavation prescriptions annually.

The SRA implements the policy of the Ministry of Culture for the knowledge, protection, conservation and promotion of archaeological heritage. It oversees the application of legislation, oversees regional archaeological research, hears applications for authorization of scheduled archaeological research, prescribes preventive archaeology operations. It also provides scientific control of archaeological operations, from the field to the management of archaeological furniture and excavation archives. Finally, it supports the dissemination and promotion of archaeological research.