CARACOTINUM
Normandie, France.
The
Gallo-Roman town was on the right bank of the Seine
estuary, more or less on the site of mediaeval Harfleur.
In prehistoric times, this site must have been an active
port, lying as it did at the end of the overland and sea
routes of the bronze trade. The first mention of the ancient port is in the
Antonine Itinerary, on the route from
Augustobonam (Troyes) to Caracotinum (Harfleur).
A temple discovered in 1840 is the most interesting
monument. Constructed on a Celtic religious site W of
the town, the fanum looked down on the estuary. It was
square and surrounded by a simple colonnade.
Ruins of many villas have been identified on the slopes
above the port. A necropolis with cremation burials was
discovered NW of the town, where the present cemetery
is. In 1964, a pottery workshop was discovered on a
terrace at the base of Mont Cabert. Excavation uncovered tunnel-kilns, run-off trenches, and rubble heaps.
Traces of the important Augustobona-Caracotinum road
are still visible on the slopes to the NW. The objects
found (vases, urns, jewelry, coins, statuettes) have
been stored in the Harfleur city hall, awaiting installation in a local archaeological museum.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fallue,
Mémoire de la Société des Antiquaires de Normandie 12 (1840)
M; A. Naef, “La
Sanctuaire romain d'Harfleur,”
S. Havraise d'Etudes
Diverses (1894)
MPI; J. Lachastre, “Les fouilles du Mont-Cabert à Harfleur,”
SNEP 39 (1967)
I; id., “Le sanctuaire gallo-romain d'Harfleur,” ibid
PI.
J. LACHASTRE
