Djerbi Hatem

https://journals.openedition.org/mediterranee/12628 . The Vistre de la Fontaine is a karstic river whose the perennial source constituted the heart of Nîmes (France) since its foundation in the 6th century BC. The developer-funded excavation of a Roman bridge that used to cross the river opened a window upon evolution of its palaeo‑channel since around 2.500 years. The chrono-stratigraphy of the site first shows an avulsion of the riverbed during the early Iron Age. The palaeo-channel was then incised from 1 to 3 m under the alluvial plain between the early Iron Age and the Early Roman Empire. The palaeo-channel migrated southward, at a rate of 1.2 m.century-1, in association with the slow construction of a meander during 2.500 years. It began to fill in during the modern period until the middle of the 20th century. This morpho-sedimentary history reports fluvial modifications that were contemporary with Nîmes urban and rural development and emphasizes possible co-evolution and interactions. The avulsion of the Vistre de la Fontaine has been synchronous with the foundation and development of Nîmes and its countryside. The riverbed was locally fixed during the Early Roman Empire by the construction of a bridge whose piers were protected from scouring by heavy enrockment of the riverbed. During this period urban organic wastes were exhausted through the river flow whose sediment discharge was also heavily contaminated by lead. The bridge was finally destroyed by natural meandering of the Vistre de la Fontaine. The riverbed will then be dredged and log jams burned during modern times. The channel has been completely straightened, enlarged and deepened in early 1950s, while it is envisioned today to restore its natural sinuosity using mechanical shovels. The Vistre de la Fontaine is a « socio-hydrosystem » at least since 2.500 years.

Les resultats de l’operation realisee sur le site des Jacquins Ouest de Neulise dans le departement de la Loire ont permis de combler un vide archeologique persistant sur la commune. Ils se conjuguent pour restituer une occupation continue de la parcelle entre la periode augusteenne et la fin du IIIe s., voire le debut du IVe s. de notre ere. Ainsi, deux etablissements ruraux se succedent entre le Ier et le IIIe s., avant de laisser place a une limite parcellaire. Par trois, voire quatre fois, un changement de statut foncier est clairement observable. Le premier renvoie a l’installation et l’evolution d’un important bâtiment construit dans la tradition gauloise dont l’emprise est delimitee par des palissades et des plantations. Le second, materialise par les restes d’un grand bâtiment maconne, dote d’un complexe artisanal, pourrait etre identifie a une dependance vinicole munie d’un pressoir. La derniere occupation est marquee par l’installation d’un fosse parcellaire dont la limite...

Le tamisage du sediment du fond d'un puits du IIe siecle de notre ere mis au jour a La Logere a Anse (Rhone) a permis la recuperation d'une abondante collection de restes organiques tres bien conserves. L'etude de ces differentes faunes et flores permet d'aborder l'environnement du site a la periode antique et d'apprecier en outre les conditions climatiques du debut de l'ere chretienne et les modifications de l'environnement survenues depuis cette epoque. Elle met egalement en evidence l'importance de l'exploitation agricole du coteau d'Anse des l'Antiquite.