Abstract
p. 157
Texte intégral
1Introduction
2In the context of research into the production of amphorae in Gaul, excavations of the pottery production centre in Salleles-d’Aude have been considerably extended, serving as a point of reference in a domain as yet virtually unknown. This has led to a wider-scale investigation whose two main lines of inquiry are the diversity of a production linked to everyday needs and the demands of speculative agriculture, and the organization of production within a veritable complex which suggests the emergence of a new model, a unit which may have been autonomous, serving a wide clientele.
31. Landscape and layout of the Sallèles complex
4Updating of the sites and monuments record has revealed just how rich has been the occupation of the site on which the production centre was built. Understanding the site as it appears to us now at the end of the XXth century implies tracing its history back to Antiquity through the archives marking the different stages in the development of this rural area. The work of excavation is organized around surface prospections (electric and magnetic surveys and mapping of visible objects) for which conditions here are excellent and which provide from the outset an overall view of the architecture of the site : a large workshop area (2.5 hectares), clearly structured, including and associating a settlement, a workshop (11 kilns) and a claypit. This first volume concentrates on a study of the production complex.
52. Stratigraphy of the workshop site
6A detailed stratigraphic analysis of the different buildings and courtyards leads to an overall synthesis of the evolution of the workshop from roughly the beginning of the era until the IIIrd century.
73. Workshop architecture and spatial organization
8During a period of more than two centuries, the production centre underwent various changes, some of them radical. These concerned spatial organization and the architecture of the entire unit, as well as that of the kilns, and their production capacity. A detailed study is made both of the buildings and of the kilns, which are exceptionally varied and well-preserved. Conclusions are summed up in tabular form, and show an overall evolution tending towards larger and larger constructions : buildings, sills, puddling pits and kilns, in association with types and volumes of production.
94. Variety of products produced
10Production corresponded to a twofold demand, on one hand for building materials, of which 18 different types were produced, and cookery and food storage utensils and domestic wares (37 types) and recipients for transporting food : Gallic 4 type amphorae were made by the thousand. Balances, designed for use in weaving, were less numerous. Each category of object is classified according to its technological characteristics, its dimensions, and where appropriate its weight and capacity. Simple statistical analysis demonstrates the presence of series and modules, and indicates evolutions in time. The range of common ceramics is mostly hollow ware, whose functions can sometimes be determined. In most cases the capacity corresponds to a unit of volume in common use for everyday purposes. The rich and varied ceramics of Salleles-d’Aude constitute as of now a reference for the study of origins and chronology in generally little-known material. The creation of the Gallic 4 type amphora, a striking aspect of the Narbonne economy, bears witness to increased wine-growing activity destined for an export trade with other regions and countries.
11Conclusion
12At Salleles, a production unit comprising a whole habitat-workplace complex has been uncovered. All the stages in pottery production, from clay digging on site to firing and storage of finished products as well as an area given over to dwellings for the potters are present. The history of this pottery, which was constantly in production from the time of Augustus until the IIIrd century, is characterized by an increase in firing capacity, and a diversification of products and thus of clientèle. This development, however, seems to have been anything but linear, with spasmodic periods of intense activity followed by relative calm.
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