The Iron-aged Irony: Forgotten Fortress of Nages-et-Castels

Situated atop a hill in the Vaunage valley, nestled between the villages of Nages-et-Solorgues and Sommières in France, lies the Oppidum de Nages, or as some might say, Oppidum des Castels. This Iron Age fortress is one of six such oppida in the valley, erected by the Volques Arécomiques – a curious Celtic tribe – between 800 BCE and 50 BCE. Archeological excavations from 1958 to 1974 brought to light four distinct construction periods. This tribe first built themselves a humble settlement before moving into the larger oppidum, only to abandon it centuries later for a Gallo-Roman settlement in Nîmes. Life within the oppidum was far from humble, as it housed public buildings, roads, residences, shops, and even a Gaulish temple. Today, the oppidum remains, a silent testament to a civilization now firmly in the past.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons