Montcaret Gallo-Roman Villa

In Montcaret village are two sites of interest: the Roman style church and the archaeological site based around the excavations of a Roman villa. The two sites are adjacent in the heart of the village.

The important villa in Montcaret was occupied from the 1st century to the 5th century. Although the main structure of the house has long since disappeared, you can still see the layout with the position of such rooms as the courtyard and baths. The surface area of the floor was very extensive and it was clearly the property of an important local dignitary.

However it is the villa floors that make it interesting because there are a large number of the original mosaics that can be seen following extensive archaeological excavations. These are considered so important that Montcaret Roman Villa is now listed as one of less than 100 National Monuments in France.

You can see small fragments of mosaics in various places here but there are two areas, the baths and the eating area, where the most important mosaics are found. Note in particular the mosaic in the baths, which incorporates pictures of fish and other marine animals. The mosaic in the eating area is larger and more complete than the others but shows various patterns rather than pictures, so is less interesting.

At the same site you can also visit a small museum which contains other artefacts found during the excavations.

Address

D10E3 1, Montcaret, France

Details

Founded: 1st century AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in France
Historical period: Roman Gaul (France)