MURVIEL-LES-MONTPELLIER
Hérault, France.
The oppidum of Le Castellas is situated on the
foothills NW of Montpellier 6 km N of the Via Domitia.
The ancient texts contain no mention of the site, but in
the Middle Ages it was known as Altimurium. The oppidum is set on a hill and protected by three circuit walls; these are joined, and probably represent successive enlargements. The walls date from between the end of the
3d c. and the 1st c. B.C.
The site covers an area of 20 ha. Several houses have been uncovered in different areas, as well as a section
of the upper rampart and some isolated tombs. Le Castellas was apparently occupied continuously from the 3d c. B.C. to the Late Empire, and perhaps both earlier and later. The early excavations revealed remains of large
monuments (columns, fragments of monumental sculpture) that have not yet been uncovered. Nor have the few tombs explored so far clarified the funerary customs. The archaeological depot at the site shows an abundance
of material from the 1st c. B.C. and the 1st c. A.D., which
seems to have been the golden age of Le Castellas.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gallia 12 (1954) 423; 17 (1959) 466-67; 20 (1962) 625-26; 22 (1964) 494; 24 (1966) 468-70; 27 (1969) 397; 29 (1971) 385-86.
J.-C.M. RICHARD
