Collection

Le monde Gallo-Romain

The water sanctuary of La Cave at Essarois

The main water sanctuary in the Châtillonnais region is the Cave at Essarois. It was excavated in the 19th century under the direction of Victorine de Chasteney, a woman of letters and the site's owner. Abandoned during the Gallic Wars, the site was rebuilt about a decade later using Roman construction techniques. The temple was then dedicated to Apollo, the healing god.

Pilgrims came to seek healing, offering statues representing their ailments, or giving thanks to the deity—as evidenced by hands bearing fruit. These figures span all ages and reflect the social hierarchy: a man in a rich Roman toga, simple, rough-hewn faces for the poorer classes, pregnant women, children, the young and the elderly—all express the pain of illness or the relief of recovery. In the end, this statuary reflects the full breadth of the human condition.
Victorine de Chasteney, 19e siècle, huile sur toile
The sanctuary of Tremblois in Villiers-le-Duc

This temple was in use from the 2nd century BC until the Christianization of the region in the 4th century AD. It stood along a Roman road connecting the valleys of the Seine and the Ource. One must imagine a busy place where pilgrims came to pray for their family’s prosperity and the good health of their livestock.

The temple occupied a central position. It consisted of a sacred room—the cella—surrounded by a covered gallery where large statues could be displayed. The statuary, largely destroyed during the Christianization process, survives only in fragments. However, one statue of a child holding a dog has been preserved.
His melancholic face is very expressive. He is dressed in a tunic covered by a typically Gallic cloak with short sleeves and a V-shaped collar. The child holds a puppy against his chest with both hands; the puppy has a short muzzle, an open mouth with its tongue hanging out, and ears folded forward.

The dog may serve both as an intermediary to gain the favor of a deity—through the offering of a puppy—and as a guide in the afterlife (a psychopomp animal). One can interpret the pilgrim who deposited this statue either as expressing a desire to ensure the health of their offspring or as making a plea for protection in the afterlife for a deceased child.
Les thermes de Vertillum, Dr Pissier, 19e siècle, aquarelle

The Gallo-Roman city of Vertillum

Vertillum was the main Gallo-Roman city of the Châtillonnais region. It was located at the crossroads of ancient roads connecting the major Gallo-Roman cities of Sens, Langres, and Autun. The site was abandoned at the end of Antiquity. Having not experienced subsequent urban development, many remains have been discovered there since the mid-19th century.

The city’s grid layout reflects the Roman style of urban planning, where a main street, called the cardo, is regularly intersected by perpendicular streets.

At the center of the city was a large square around which public buildings such as the imperial temple and the market were arranged. One side was occupied by wealthy merchants. Numerous artisans operated from houses that served as workshops opening directly onto the streets.

The museum holds over 300 tools belonging to builders, potters, glassmakers, shoemakers, weavers, metalworkers, and also bone carvers, along with products from these trades. This collection offers a vivid glimpse into daily life during the Gallo-Roman period.
Locksmithing

The collection of Gallo-Roman keys and locks held by the museum demonstrates the variety of locking methods. The locks were more complex than ours today; they could operate by rotation, withdrawal, or lifting of the key.

Large keys were associated with real estate—they secured doors of houses, cellars, or agricultural buildings. Smaller keys and locks were used to secure furniture such as chests or cabinets. For even smaller padlocks, for example those closing jewelry boxes, ring keys existed that people wore on their fingers.

Some locks were adorned with highly decorative plates, combining functionality with aesthetics.
Bone carving

Bones from consumed animals (such as pigs, cattle, and poultry) were used to craft everyday objects: hinges, interior decoration elements, and small spoons. Dice, tokens, and discs evoke moments of leisure and play. Pins adorned with circular, ovoid, or engraved heads were used to elegantly fasten hair. Needles and spindles, on the other hand, reflect the world of clothing production.
The kitchen

The hearth was typically a brazier that could be placed either inside or outside the home. Slow cooking was done using ceramic pots set in front of the fire. For faster cooking, the Gallo-Romans used a grill. Frying pans were already known, allowing food to be boiled, roasted, or simmered.
The diet was based on meat, cereals, legumes, dairy products, and fruits, whose cultivation intensified with Romanization. The Gallo-Romans likely followed Roman eating habits, with a light breakfast and lunch, and the main meal in the evening.
Guests would help themselves from shared dishes using their fingers or spoons. Metal tableware and decorated terra sigillata indicate the presence of a wealthy social class.
Writing and Lighting

During the Gallo-Roman period writing became a common practice in Gaul. Styluses and wax tablets were used for taking temporary notes, which could later be erased. Styluses had a pointed end for writing and a small spatula at the other end to smooth the wax for corrections or erasing.
Ink, along with papyrus or parchment, was used for documents meant to be preserved. Black ink was made by mixing very fine soot with gum, and to make it more permanent, it was diluted with vinegar. Red ink also existed.
Writing was done with a reed pen, known as a calamus, which was usually made from reed and more rarely from bronze sheet.
The Gallo-Romans used fat lamps and candle holders for lighting. Metal wick-holders were inserted into walls.
Jewellery

Pork played an important role in the diet as early as the Gallic period; its bones were frequently used during the Gallo-Roman era to make pendants. The Gallo-Romans also crafted objects from stag antler.

Fibulae

While these pins were used to fasten clothing, they could also serve as adornments, much like brooches. In such cases, they featured elaborate decoration and were often embellished with precious materials. Subject to fashion trends, the shapes and materials of fibulae evolved over time. Archaeologists can thus use them to date the archaeological layers in which they are found.
Personal hygiene

The Gallo-Romans did not neglect personal hygiene. They went to the baths, where they followed a sequence of bathing: first in steam, then in hot water, followed by warm, and finally cold water. They did not use soap, but instead cleansed themselves with a mixture of olive oil and powdered pumice stone.
A Gallo-Roman toiletry kit typically included tweezers, mirrors, and ear picks. Women wore makeup and perfume. The fashion favored very pale skin, with lips and eyes strongly highlighted in color.
The ancient writer Pliny gives us the recipe for the foundation used by Roman women: 'Snails, dried in the sun on tiles, then ground into powder and mixed with a bean porridge, make an excellent cosmetic that whitens and softens the skin...'
To apply their makeup, women used a flat stone slab. Oils and perfumes were stored in small vases, sometimes shaped like animals.
Religion

In the Gallo-Roman period, religion was practiced both in communal temples and within the home. The wealthiest households owned beautiful statues of deities, such as this triad of mother goddesses. All three have their right breast exposed, symbolizing their maternal nature. The figure on the left holds a swaddled child, the one in the center extends what appears to be a cloth, and the one on the right holds a sponge.
They were believed to protect the family, encourage motherhood, and promote abundance.
Less privileged social groups had terracotta figurines representing Venuses, mother goddesses, or busts of smiling children. Workshops discovered in the nearby city of Autun provide evidence of the mass production of this type of figurine.

The water sanctuary of La Cave at Essarois
The sanctuary of Tremblois in Villiers-le-Duc
The Gallo-Roman city of Vertillum
Locksmithing
Bone carving
The kitchen
Writing and Lighting
Jewellery
Personal hygiene
Religion

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