De l'habitat en terrasses à l'oppidum perché : à propos des sites de hauteur du Bronze final III et du premier âge du Fer dans les Garrigues du Languedoc oriental et les Cévennes

A shift in settlement patterns is observed between the Late Bronze Age IIIa and the early Iron Age in the Garrigues of eastern Languedoc and the Cévennes, with a transition from elevated terraced habitats to more accessible and varied high-ground sites. Initially, during the Bronze final IIIa, settlements were confined to suspended terraces on rugged terrains, but by the Bronze final IIIb, they expanded to include less steep terraces, plateau edges, rocky promontories, and isolated hills, often supplemented with natural fortifications or additional stone structures. While remnants of post-and-wattle dwellings persist, more substantial stone enclosures became common during the early Iron Age, with monumental fortifications emerging only in the second Iron Age. This study highlights the evolving strategies for habitation and defense in this UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

DEDET, B. (2017). De l’habitat en terrasses à l’oppidum perché : à propos des sites de hauteur du Bronze final III et du premier âge du Fer dans les Garrigues du Languedoc oriental et les Cévennes. Documents d’Archéologie Méridionale, (40). https://doi.org/10.4000/dam.4628