A century and a half of pottery production at Chatigny

The atelier de potiers du Chatigny is an artisanal establishment from the period of the Gallic pottery workshops located in the commune of Luxeuil-les-Bains, Haute-Saône, France. Active during the 1st and 2nd centuries, it is the only known workshop in the Franche-Comté region at the beginning of the 21st century presenting such a varied production over such a long period. The site was classified as a historical monument in 1988.

The site of Luxovium developed at a crossroads of ancient roads bypassing the Vosges massif, connecting Upper Alsace and the Lorraine plateau. The presence of hot springs favored the creation of a sanctuary, and from the middle of the 1st century, the development of a city with artisanal activity began. The known potter workshops are located to the east of this city, slightly apart due to the nuisances they emit. The ovens are located on a hillside overlooking the springs and the valley where the Breuchin river flows, near streams and forests suitable for supplying clay and firewood.

In 1881, two fragments of potter's molds discovered in Luxeuil indicate local production of stamped pottery. A study of these molds and many fragments of pottery from Luxeuil and the neighboring site of Mandeure was published in 1960. Emergency archaeological excavations were carried out from 1978 to 1988 on the Chatigny site, uncovering a group of eight potter's ovens. More than twenty fragments of molds were collected in 1982-1983, as well as many fragments of pottery.

The group of ovens was classified as a historical monument in 1988. Excavations resumed in 1991 during the construction of a museographical presentation building. In 1993, surveys carried out a hundred meters near the local cemetery located four other ovens. However, the land between these two locations underwent major roadworks in 1950, which destroyed the archaeological layers where the remains of the workshops should have been. The potter workshop subsisting after the excavations is divided into two groups.

The group of ovens called 'de Chatigny' groups eight ovens around a common heating area, with a ninth nearby. The other group, containing four ovens, is located a hundred meters near the modern cemetery. The heating area of 'Chatigny' is dug into the ground and bordered by walls of sandstone rubble. It served eight ovens, either simultaneously or successively. The artisan accessed the heating area via a staircase of four steps. No rainwater drainage system was found, which is another indication of the existence of a building above the heating area.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons