The Gallo-Roman settlement of Vertillum

The commune of Vertault, in the Côte-d'Or department of eastern France, was home to the archaeological site of Vertillum. This Gallo-Roman site includes many buried structures, remains of ramparts, thermal baths, and a temple. Many of the objects found at the site are held in the nearby Musée du Pays Châtillonnais.

Originally, a Gallic oppidum covering about 25 hectares occupied the site, surrounded by a stone wall and ditch. It later evolved into a Gallo-Roman settlement featuring typical characteristics such as residential areas, a forum, baths, a temple, and an administrative center. The Roman town would have had between 3,000 and 5,000 inhabitants.

Vertillum was also a center for working copper-based alloys. Unfinished objects and waste material show that smiths used foundry techniques to work sheet iron and to bronze iron objects. These items include handles, dishes, and keys, ranging from simple to ornate. Because the archaeological setting of the older discoveries was not recorded, it is not possible to define a chronology of metal working at the site.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons