- The Celts in France -
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Figure 29.6 General plan of the fortified enclosure at Paule, Cotes d' Armor, Brittany.
Continuing excavation of this site and its environs is prompting a reassessment of the signifi-
cance of the roles of enclosed sites in Brittany. Key: I - rampart; 2 -ploughed out rampart;
3 -ditch; 4 -probable course of ditch; 5 - pits and post-holes; 6 -little ditch. (After Y. Menez.)of open space and resources. Its position determines the ancient entry routes into
Gaul, the isthmus between Narbonne and the Atlantic, and the Rhone valley, which it
overlooks from the high plateaux of the Cevennes and Vivarais. Caesar understood
this geography well, and carefully avoided entering the area during the first five
years of the Gallic War. He had, however, eventually to resolve to confront the Arverni
on their own territory but was only able to defeat them by drawing them as far
as Burgundy, the home of their rival the Aedui, and ultimately to Alesia. In order to
complete the conquest in 5 I Be, Caesar had to overcome the resistance of the Cadurci,
established around the Lot valley, who were posing a threat to the Province.
Innovations and new populations were slow to infiltrate this massif: its cultural
substratum endured for centuries. Archaeological survey is difficult in the uplands:
ploughed land is rare, as are the kinds of major development projects that can require
rescue archaeological interventions. Moreover, the constraints imposed by the
environment remain strong here: architectural changes have more to do with avail-
able raw materials than with technical developments. The information that we can