Take a trip to the past with the Oppidum d'Altimurium, also known as Oppidum Murviel-les-Montpellier. This ancient hill-town, classified as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1896, stands at 190 meters above the land and sprawls over a 20-hectare expanse, making it one of the largest hill forts in the region.
Founded in the 2nd century BC, it was protected by a 1st-century BC wall almost 2 km long. The city was divided into two zones: the upper town atop the hill and the lower town on the slopes, down almost to the present town of Murviel-les-Montpellier.
The site is home to a Roman monumental area, which includes a 75-meter square, rooms built against the hill, and two large porches arranged on each side of the square, as well as a large building of the Corinthian order which was probably a temple.
In 2009, excavations were still in progress. The site, nestled between Montpellier and Béziers, is a major historical site in the Montpellier region and is open to the public. For a closer look at some artifacts from the site, an archaeological museum is located in Murviel-lès-Montpellier.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.