Le Garissou : villa et atelier de potiers médiévaux sur le territoire de Béziers (Hérault)

Abstract

The medieval villa at Le Garissou, mentioned even before the end of theXth century, is built on a hillside, 5 km North East of Béziers (Hérault). Although the housing area remains yet unexplored, a programmed salvage excavation has made possible the study of a great part of the outbuildings of the villa : they consist more particularly, of two large areas for cereals reserves, comprising about a hundred silos alongside outlying buidings. This first phase of occupation, of a relatively long duration, ended probably in the course of the XIIth century, as the whole of the structures present the characteristics of a sudden and prolonged abondonment. The place was again occupied and fitted up as apotter's and tiler's workshop : this second phase in fact shows a possible recuperation of the ancient buildings and the building of numerous ovens. Four of them dated between 1 185 and 1260 by archeomagneticanalysis, havebeen investigated, and provided a great quantity of burning rejects : grey ceramics and tiles. The excavation of the villa at Le Garissou now represents a remarkable reference for the knowledge ot the exploitation of the territory around Béziers, and of the medieval ceramics in the Languedoc.