Abstract
p. 189
Texte intégral
1Preface
2The Liégeaud Villa was discovered in 1913, and in 1960 attracted the attention of an unauthorized and clandestine excavator. In 1974 exploratory studies were carried out to determine the archaeological interest of the site. The state of existing structures, the stratigraphic sequences and the discovery of mural painting fragments showing human figures accompanied by inscriptions led to the opening in 1975 of a programme of excavations concentrating on the chronology and décor of a Lemovices (Limoges area) villa. The decision to excavate the paintings led to the installation on site of a restoration workshop, and to the production, thanks to the sponsorship of the Credit Agricole, of ten panels now on show in the Museum of Limoges. Their epigraphy and inconography contribute to illustrate the cycle of municipal honours and to evoke the personality of one of the villa’s owners.
3Introduction
4The Liegeaud Villa is situated in the zone of crystalline schists, and belongs to the upper valley of the Briance, overlooking one of its first confluences. In the absence of any detailed prospection, over an area of 600 sq. km only about thirty rural habitats and two vici are currently known. The presence of a gold mine with a silver‑bearing vein 1,500 m from the villa raises questions about the relationships existing in the Limousin between rural habitats and mining.
51 The villa : the archaeological study
6Before the construction of the structures studied in this excavation there existed an older building (1st century AD), whose existence is proved by abundant materials found in state 1 infill, but of which no trace was found in the excavated zone.
7State 1 consists of two buildings dating from about 150 AD : a quadrilateral B, which appears from its dimensions and its situation on the extreme edge of the shoulder to be the residential building, and a secondary inhabitation A.
8In state 2 gallery runs along the fapade of the residential building, stretching along the front of building A which has been extended to the rear in such a way as to link it to building B, of which it has become the south wing ; a bath‑house has been installed at the end of the building.
9State 3 corresponds to changes in the drainage layout in connection with large‑scale transformations of the baths which led to the disappearance of several of the rooms in wing B. Was this the reflection of an economic recession? Or a change in taste? After its destruction following a fire at the end of the Hird century the building seems to have been abandoned.
10Ceramic finds in the lodgings which were excavated were both rare and poor in quality : nevertheless, the analysis of these finds and the archeomagnetic study of the hypocausts have made it possible abundance and diversity of fired clay building materials call for further reflection on their origins and methods of use. The discovery of two crucibles containing traces of silver indicates a possible link between the villa and local metalworking activities. Remains of fauna, in a poor state of preservation because of soil acidity, show oxen and cows as the dominant species, followed by pigs and sheep.
112 The paintings
12Painted for the building in its first state towards 150 AD, destroyed during the transformation leading to state 2 and thrown into the infill, the mural fragments which have been studied show a loss rate of roughly 75 % of the total surface. It has nevertheless proved possible to reconstitute the essential structure of the décor, which belongs to the series of Gallo‑Roman paintings alternating wide red panels and narrow black panels. The décor consists of two series of murals, one using plant and architectural motifs and the other showing numerous animal and human figures on plinth and entablature. Occupying a large surface (a minimum of 20.5 m) the paintings covered the walls of two adjoining rooms (portico and anteroom ?).
13It has not proved possible to decipher all of the inscription, badly damaged and written in partially effaced black capitals on the white background of the plinth corona. Identification of the word SPECATQulum], the presence of proper names (ROMVLVS) and verbs (VOCATI SVNT) and the close relationship between the inscription and the scenes depicted in the register below make it possible to identify the murals as the commemoration of a munus gladiatorium probably given by the villa’s owner, a Lemovices notable, in accordance with the rules governing municipal benevolence. The tradition of munus paintings, attested in Italy as early as the second century BC, continued during the Empire ; this example is the earliest known evidence in Gaul of the adoption of this practice.
14In spite of the fragmentary nature of the scenes, it is possible to identify different armaturae (eques, retiarius, Thracian? Sagittarius?), what may be venatores, the elements of the pompa (figures in civilian dress) and in the background spectators wearing tunics, of the cucullus. These allusions to the munus are accompanied by scenes serving as decorative motifs on the entablature : combats of venatores or wild animals and deer‑hunts evoke the venatio which precedes the munus. The stereotyped arrangement of the scenes is counterbalanced by the accuracy of the venatio costumes which clearly belong to a very specific date in their evolution and allow dating at about 150 AD, which is confirmed by stratigraphic data. This concern for iconographic accuracy shows the importance of the life of the amphitheatre in the eyes of those watching the munus or looking at its pictorial representation.
153 Technical studies and restoration
16Technical observations carried out during the treatment of mural fragments provide certain information on building materials and methods. The absence of a local source of lime encouraged parcimony in its use in the mortar base, with the result that it is now extremely friable. Conversely, lime was lavishly used in the painted layer, which is well preserved in spite of the damage it has suffered. The technical knowledge of the craftsmen involved is revealed by the systematic polishing of the base and the probable use –no definitive proof can exist– of the a fresco technique. Very few traces of preparation have been found ; no doubt the painters had great experience in dividing up the surface to be painted, possibly by paint marks. Finally, the use of certain imported pigments –from Italy in particular– confirms the somewhat exceptional character of this original piece of work.
17Museographic presentation has been based on the production, for each series, of a red panel flanked by two black panels. Given the fragmentary state of the two series, stress has been laid on the reconstitution of motifs, using trateggio to render them perceptible to the inexperienced eye.
18Conclusion
19This commemorative painting confirms the status of the villa’s owner as a Lemovices notable and poses the question of the relationship between his social status and this rural residence. In its first state this was of modest conception both in plan (a rectangular building fronting a courtyard without portico) and in décor (mural paintings, limestone facings, fired clay building materials). The cause, no doubt, is the date of its construction, previous to the development of the U‑shaped plan and the widespread use of stone décors and the importation of marble to the Lemovices region. However, although state 2 included the building of wings and galleries around the living quarters, there is no trace of columns nor of pavement, which argues a mediocre level in comparison with other villas of the Limoges area. A further study is necessary to provide complementary details of the pars rustica and types of agricultural exploitation which could not be included in the Liegeaud study.
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