- Chapter Twenty-Nine -
EASTERN CENTRAL GAUL, AT THE CROSSROADS
OF CELTIC EUROPEGeography offers Burgundy a key position in both north-south and east-west
contacts. At the western extremity of the Alpine arc, Vix, Autun, Vienne and Lyons
are to be found at the apex of a fan-shaped zone which opens onto the valleys of the
Loire, Seine, Saone-Rhone and Doubs, the last leading directly towards the Rhine.
The historic record began earlier here than elsewhere in temperate France, and the
phases of its development succeeded each other more rapidly.
Here, the First Iron Age had a remarkable final phase, being famous notably for
its princely tombs. The Vix (Cote d'Or) princess was laid out in a burial chamber
protected by a mound at the foot of the Mont Lassois fortified settlement. Next
to a parade chariot encased in bronze fitments, which bears witness to the skills of
local craftsmen, the famous vase tells of the close diplomatic links which linked local
aristocrats to the distant Greek cities of southern Italy. Wine-drinking equipment
and gold ornaments show the wealth and ostentatious way of life of an aristocracy
which had taken advantage of its privileged relationship with Mediterranean societies
in order to consolidate its power over the local population. We are at the heart of a
'prestige goods economy' which functioned perfectly in this area, readily open
to commerce. At the foot of the Jura mountains and along the Doubs valley,
burial mounds and neighbouring small upland fortified settlement sites have been
identified, recalling the pattern known widely in the west Hallstatt province. Recent
discoveries, at two locations within the town of Bourges, indicate that Greek pottery
imports also reached Berry. Was the Avaricum of Caesar's text preceded by a major
Hallstatt agglomeration? This hypothesis needs support from further discoveries, but
is not at all unlikely.
Although the evidence from Hallstatt strongholds indicates aristocratic residences
rather than proto-urban centres, such sites are, however, distinct from the mass
of settlement units in the countryside because of a concentration on craft activities
identifiable within them. One sees this in Germany at the Heuneburg, and the
abundant artefacts recovered from Mont Lassois suggest a similar situation must
have prevailed there.
A new perspective is offered by the results of excavations taking place at Bragny-
sur-Saone (Saone-et-Loire). Here, evidence of the import of Mediterranean wares
throughout the fifth century Be has been found on an unenclosed settlement set
beside the river. This site is not merely a port for the break-in-bulk of materials
which were destined for the hinterland. Craft activities were numerous and intensive,
especially the iron-working industry. We may note on this site the beginnings of the
combination of activities on a site which is clearly different from those which remain
rooted in the traditional agricultural framework.
The extent of the influence of these long-distance exchanges has been shown by
the discovery of a small hamlet at Lyon-Vaise. In a modest agricultural settlement
near the Saone, Greek and Massaliote imports were discovered, demonstrating that
imports were far from uniquely restricted to the princely sites.
In these eastern areas, the evidence from the early and middle La Tene periods is
more diffuse than that of the late First Iron Age. Cemeteries have often been found