MAURESSIP
Gard, France.
The oppidum of
Mauressip, situated atop and around a hill dominating
the Vaunage plain in the commune of St. Come between
Nîmes and Sommières, is a medium-sized fortress occupied for a long period in prehistoric times. Apparently
founded in the last years of the 6th c. B.C., it had its
greatest growth at the end of the 5th c. and during the
4th. It was inhabited until 120 B.C. and again in the
Augustan era.
The first huts were made of perishable materials set
up on the rock. They contained local ware and West
Greek pottery. The second period saw the erection of
stone houses dating from the 5th, 4th, and 3d c. B.C., and
local, Massaliote, Attic, and Italiote wares were abundant.
A tower (5 x 5 m) was built at the highest point on the
site probably at the end of the 4th c. It was faced on the
inside with local stone and on the outside with imported
stone, fitted by a Hellenistic technique. It was destroyed
during the 2d c. B.C. The civilization represented by the
finds at Mauressip was Gallo-Greek, of the lower Rhone
type.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Informations,”
Gallia 22 (1964) 504;
24 (1966) 419; M. Py, “Les influences méditerranéenes
en Vaunage,”
Bull. de l'École Antique de Nîmes 2
(1969) 35-86.
M. PY
