• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
chevron-down search panel ressource caret-down close info share patrimoineprocheorient 3d arrow-right check checkbox chevron-right zoom-out arrow-left hd interactif map map-alt pen photo photo print sound triangle typo-moins typo-plus video medias youtube instagram facebook pinterest twitter zoom-in download dots info POI filter archeologie.culture.fr
Villa, villae in Roman Gaul
Villa, villae in Roman Gaul
  • Home
  • Resources
    • The Roman villa: source texts and archaeological evidence
      • What is a villa ?
      • The villa according to Roman authors
      • Literary descriptions
      • Images of villas in Antiquity
      • Villas in Italy
      • Agriculture in Antiquity
      • Antiquarians and archaeologists
      • Two centuries of research in France
      • Léon Joulin, a pioneer
      • Georges Fouet and Montmaurin
      • The villa from the air
      • Ongoing research
      • The villa in Roman Gaul
      • The villa in the Gallic provinces
      • Sumptuous rural residences
      • The estate owners
      • Farm employees and slaves
      • Productions and activities
      • Technology and machines
    • Loupian, a villa in Gallia Narbonensis
      • A Roman estate on the plains of Languedoc
      • A land of villas
      • Southern France and the Roman conquest
      • Villas in the Roman city of Béziers
      • The coastal lagoons
      • Estates around the Etang de Thau
      • Farming along the Mediterranean
      • A patchwork of watersheds
      • A shifting landscape
      • Farmlands in Antiquity
      • The villa and its cropping systems
      • From Roman villa to medieval village
      • Farms in the 1st century BCE
      • The distribution of lands after the Roman conquest
      • An initial farm
      • The Via Domitia and a roadside village
      • Everyday Roman objects
      • Farms with regular floor plansr
      • Wine-growing villas in the Early Roman Empire
      • From farm to villa
      • A rural dwelling for the master of the estate
      • Country living, city living
      • Housing for labourers
      • Farm equipment
      • Winemaking in Narbonese Gaul
      • Vine training
      • A potter's section
      • Amphorae for the wine trade
      • The estate's economy
      • The residence in Late Antiquity
      • The villa in the 4th century CE
      • The residence in the early 5th century CE
      • Luxurious living quarters
      • The mosaics
      • Two styles, two workshops
      • Daily life in the living areas
      • Banqueting and social life
      • The residence over time
      • A lakeside hamlet
      • A Paleo-Christian church
      • An archaeological site for the public
      • History of the excavation of the site
      • A preliminary study prior to restoration
      • Treating the mosaics
      • Ongoing archaeological investigations
      • The search for a design
      • From excavation to construction site
      • Designing the museum
      • The Villa-Loupian today
      • Similar achievements in Europe
    • Resources
    • Médiathèque
    • Site map

Villa, villae in Roman Gaul

The ancient Roman world saw the rise and expansion of large-scale, estate-based agriculture, and at the heart of this system lay a very special institution – the villa. Excavation of one of these large estates, the Villa Loupian in France's Languedoc province, provides a glimpse of rural life in Roman Gaul.

  • archeologie.culture.fr
Loupian, a villa in Gallia Narbonensis

Farming along the Mediterranean

  • Home
  • Loupian, a villa in Gallia Narbonensis
  • Farming along the Mediterranean
Reduce the size of the text Increase the size of the text
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Print
  • A Roman estate on the plains of Languedoc
  • Farming along the Mediterranean
    • A patchwork of watersheds
    • A shifting landscape
    • Farmlands in Antiquity
    • The villa and its cropping systems
    • From Roman villa to medieval village
  • Farms in the 1st century BCE
  • Wine-growing villas in the Early Roman Empire
  • The residence in Late Antiquity
  • An archaeological site for the public

The northern shores of the Etang de Thau feature a series of small-scale watersheds, which affected the distribution of agricultural lands. Growing systems were developed during the first millennium on lands that today have been eroded or covered over in sediment. The landscape shaped by the farms and villas in Antiquity provided the setting for the medieval castrum, which formed the basis for the modern village.

  1. Ce paysage est encore dominé par la vigne. Plus haut, prennent place des formations de garrigues sur des espaces encore récemment exploités. © Sandra Lebrun, CCNBT

    A patchwork of watersheds

  2. L'utilisation d'un mur de terrasse en pierres sèches, généralisée à l'époque moderne, permet de régulariser la surface et le profil des champs de coteau © Ch. Pellecuer, MCC-DRAC Languedoc-Roussillon

    A shifting landscape

  3. Une puissante séquence sédimentaire observée aux abords du village de Loupian. s'est formée sur plusieurs siècles, entre la fin de l'Antiquité et le début de l'époque moderne. Les systèmes de cultures évolueront avec les transformations de l'environnement.  © Ch. Pellecuer, MCC-DRAC Languedoc-Roussillon

    Farmlands in Antiquity

  4. Bois, pépins, noyaux ou coques de fruits, mais aussi semences et graines bénéficient d'une excellente conservation dans des conditions anaérobies, grâce à la nappe phréatique. Ces restes piégés apportent des informations sur l'environnement des exploitations rurales mais aussi sur les pratiques agricoles.  © R. Bourgaut, CCNBT

    The villa and its cropping systems

  5. À la fin du Ier siècle le centre domanial 1’allure d’une villa, organisée autour de trois cours, avec la résidence du maître au centre. S. Cugnet / La Forme d'après les relevés de l'architecte R. Thernot (INRAP) © MCC

    From Roman villa to medieval village

  • Previous Farms in the 1st century BCE Previous
    A Roman estate on the plains of Languedoc
  • Next Farms in the 1st century BCE Next
    Farms in the 1st century BCE

La villa, sources antiques et archéologie

  • Antiquaires et archéologues
  • La villa en Gaule romaine
  • Qu'est-ce qu'une villa ?

Loupian, une villa de la Gaule Narbonnaise

  • Un domaine de la plaine languedocienne
  • Exploiter des terres littorales
  • Les fermes du Ier siècle avant notre ère
  • La villa productrice du Haut-Empire
  • La résidence de l'Antiquité tardive
  • Un site archéologique pour le public

Ressources

  • Médiathèque
  • Plan du site

À propos

  • Crédits

Resources

  • Site plan

About us

  • Legal notice

About

Beyond time and space, the Archeologie.culture.fr collection presents the history and life of men through the research of the greatest specialists in French archeology.
Visit Archeologie.culture.fr

Discover other sites of the collection

  • Il y a 36 000 ans
    Chauvet cave
  • France - 19 000 years ago
    Lascaux
  • 100 years ago
    The archaeology of the Great War
  • The Commission de Topographie des Gaules 1858–1879
    French national archaeology: the early years
ministère de la culture logo Musée d'achéologie nationale logo
Contact - Accessibilité : Partiellement conforme - - 2023. Ministry of Culture (en)