The first excavations carried out as part of the urbanization of the Oison industrial area certainly made it possible to understand its essential components. This second phase, which began in the second half of 2023 on the site where a commercial building will soon be built, made it possible to go further. A supermarket will soon be built in place of the Roman villa. But archaeologists led by Bruno Lepeuple, head of preventive research at the Éveha archaeological company, have discovered every part of the remains of the ancient building. The investigation of a Roman well was important, in which mainly remains of painted plaster were found. Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf is a French commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region.
The ancient core of the Gallo-Roman city – called Uggade – lies on the ancient road that connected Rouen to Paris, and its importance is evident from numerous archaeological discoveries from the period. The Gallo-Roman station of Uggade has produced a number of finds over time, including tombs, traces of buildings such as baths and fanums. The Latin word “fanum” (plural “fana”) in ancient sources usually refers to a generic sacred place or small cult building, almost synonymous with the term “sacellum”. Cicero uses this word to describe sanctuaries outside the classical tradition, while Suetonius uses both terms to report that Caesar destroyed Fana and the temple during the Gallic War.
The remains and objects that have come to light here over the decades include a striking variety of objects from tombs and other sites, including statuettes, Gallic and Roman coins, jewelry, objects of daily life, weapons and a “encased Venus” , a small ceramic artifact depicting a nude female figure with a torque around her neck, decorated with scrollwork along the body and legs. The legible Celtic inscription on the statuette reads: “rextugenos sullias avvot,” which experts interpret as “Rextugenos, the son of Sullias, created me.” This signature reveals the identity of the potter, who carried numerous other Venus figures in a scabbard.
Rural villas were spread around the city center. One of them came to light during recent excavations. The construction of a supermarket in the area led to preventive archaeological investigations, upon completion of which planning permission will be granted. The villa was about 500 meters from the city center. A strategic distance that allowed the owners to become suppliers of various supplies. The products delivered must have been numerous. In addition to vegetables, meat and fruit, the estate had to supply large quantities of lime to builders in the area.
Archaeologists have actually discovered the presence of a dozen lime kilns. It is likely that part of them was erected for the construction of the building itself and its production facilities. However, such a high number of kilns for cooking limestone suggests that production was primarily aimed at sales.
“Of the buildings, we mainly found the foundations, which enabled us to draw a plan for the villa. – say the archaeologists of Éveha – Given the quality of construction, this must have been a very powerful building. It was certainly a house that, if still standing, would represent an important monument to the region.
The villa was not only imposing, but also decorated with Roman-style frescoes. At the bottom of the well of the villa itself, fragments of painted plaster were found, belonging to the decorated walls.
“At the Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf site – say the archaeologists – the discovery of a well inside the Gallo-Roman villa required the intervention of the Fouille platform in a limited environment. The excavation of this well, preserved at a depth of 5.8 m, was entrusted to Marc-Antoine Thierry and Julien Chantran for two weeks.
It has a square shape and a diameter of 1.7 m. The tip deforms and becomes oval as the shaft opens. The first part of the fountain consisted of a wooden structure that had completely disappeared. The filling of the well during the looting of the building yielded numerous finds: blocks and marbles from the edge of the well, architectural elements in limestone and marble, tiles, remains of wild animals, etc., but also many fragments of painted plaster”.