La Graufesenque

La Graufesenque (Latin Condatomagus ) is a hamlet in the eastern municipality of Millau in the French department of Aveyron. The town lies at the mouth of the Dourbie in the upper Tarn and has a long history from Roman times as a production of a Roman ceramic ware ( terra sigillata southern Gaul ). The Latin name of locality is handed down from the Tabula Peutingeriana. The ceramic manufactory had a national significance in the 1st century AD, when their products have been exported to many parts of the Western Roman Empire.

History of Terra sigillata production

During the Italic terra sigillata mainly produced in Arezzo dominated the markets to n in the early first century AD, ( Lugdunum ) and Montanus became established from 15 BC potteries first in Lyon on Tarn in Toulouse. Benefits of Gallic pottery were large deposits of raw materials and shorter transport routes to the buyer. In addition, they established some specific vessel forms that do not occur in Italic sigillata with which they are likely to meet specific customer tastes in the province served (including the forms Dragendorff 29 and 30).

Production in La Graufesenque put a BC in the second quarter of the 1st century. During the first century the manufactory gained a dominant position in the north-western provinces and urged the other sites, especially the Italian pottery, largely back. Even in Italy goods now imported from southern Gaul. After Frédéric Hermet four major stages of production can be distinguished:

• Période primitive: reign of Emperor Tiberius ( 14-37 AD)
• Période splendeur: Government of the Emperor Claudius, and Nero ( 41-68 AD)
• Période transition: vespasianische time ( 69-79 AD)
• Période decadence: ( Domitian to Trajan, 81-117 AD)

In later times the mass production led to a poorer shape the embellishment. However, the now certainly cheaper production could not keep up against the big medium Gallic pottery centers. In Trajan 's products from La Graufesenque disappeared in the archaeological material of the great markets of the sites troops on the Rhine. The pottery sank to the local importance down.

Buildings and finds

The finds from the excavations give insight into the workflow of large, antique businesses. Here are the Ritz particularly inscriptions to mention mis fires. They show that the ovens were filled cooperative of several entrepreneurs and contained up to 30,000 vessels in average. One of these furnaces was given the significant name of grand four and can be seen in the open terrain of the local museum. As in most places of production of terra sigillata, about Rheinzabern ( Tabernae ) the findings of false fires, shape bowls and Punzenstempeln are very numerous.

Excavations 1973-1981 three different parts of the vicus could be detected: the pottery plants, living quarters and various sanctuaries from the 1st to 3rd century AD The excavation site can be visited along with a small exhibition. The greater number of the finds will be exhibited at the Place Foch at the Museum of Millau.

Settlement of potters over the filling of a furnace.

At the " sausages " glued together wrong fires in the Museum of Millau