Site archéologique de Roquepertuse
MonumentHidden Treasure
Site archéologique de Roquepertuse, located in Velaux (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Velaux, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5328, 5.2716
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081491
Perched on a rocky spur overlooking the Arc plain, Roquepertuse is one of the most enigmatic Celto-Ligurian sanctuaries in the Mediterranean, famous for its porticoes adorned with human skulls and its unique protohistoric sculptures.
History
In the heart of inland Provence, just a few kilometres from the Etang de Berre, the Roquepertuse archaeological site rises up from its limestone spur like a forgotten sentinel between sky and garrigue. This plateau overlooking the commune of Velaux is home to one of the best-documented Celto-Ligurian oppida in southern Gaul, a place where religion, war and death were intertwined in a complex and fascinating ritual that continues to defy our understanding. What sets Roquepertuse apart from all the other protohistoric sites in the Midi is the absolute uniqueness of its sacred furnishings. Excavations have revealed the remains of a monumental portico, the pillars of which were hollowed out with niches designed to hold human skulls - most likely those of defeated enemies or honoured figures. The cult of the skull, which was well established throughout the Celtic world, reached a level of architectural sophistication here that has no equivalent in France. The sculptures found - including the famous "god seated cross-legged" and the limestone severed heads - bear witness to a provincial art of remarkable expressive power, halfway between Mediterranean influence and indigenous tradition. The visit is divided into two parts: the site itself, where the carved slabs and wall courses are still visible beneath the Provencal vegetation, and the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne in Marseille, which houses the masterpieces unearthed at Roquepertuse. On site, archaeologists can still make out the successive terraces of the oppidum, the sacred areas distinguished from domestic spaces, and the remains of the fortifications that made this rock a citadel as much as a place of worship. The natural setting amplifies the strangeness of the place. The fragrant garrigue, kermes oaks and limestone outcrops create a timeless atmosphere, conducive to imagining the ritual processions of the Celto-Ligurian populations who lived here from the 5th to the 2nd centuries BC. The southern light, harsh and shadowless at midday, is a reminder that Roquepertuse was also a crossroads between the Mediterranean and continental worlds, a cultural sentinel on the borders of two civilisations.
Architecture
The architecture at Roquepertuse is in the tradition of the Celto-Ligurian oppida of southern Gaul, characterised by occupation in successive terraces adapted to the relief of a limestone rock spur. The buildings, made of local dry stone and cut blocks of shell limestone, were organised into several functional levels: domestic spaces on the lower terraces, a sacred area on the highest point offering maximum visibility and cosmological symbolism. The most remarkable architectural feature is the sanctuary portico, whose carved limestone posts and lintels defined a space for ritual passage. The pillars, around one to one-and-a-half metres high, feature carefully carved niches at eye level, designed to display human skulls. This unique feature in southern Gaul transformed the act of entering the sanctuary into a passage between two worlds, under the gaze of the dead or defeated. Geometric and zoomorphic paintings adorned some of the pillars, including representations of two-headed birds in red and black on a white background, of remarkable artistic quality for a provincial work of this period. The votive sculptures associated with the sanctuary - kept at the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne in Marseille - complete this architectural programme. The statue of the "warrior seated cross-legged", the limestone severed heads and the fragments of animal friezes reveal a local workshop that mastered the techniques of carving in the round, influenced by Greek models, while developing a specifically Celtic iconography. Taken together, they form an irreplaceable testimony to the art of the Iron Ages in Provence.
Related Figures
Henri de Gérin-Ricard — archéologue marseillais du début du XXe siècle, principal fouilleur du siteSextius Calvinus — consul romain dont la conquête de 125-122 av. J.-C. entraîna probablement l'abandon du siteFernand Benoit — archéologue provençal qui approfondit l'étude du mobilier de Roquepertuse au milieu du XXe sièclePatrice Arcelin — chercheur CNRS ayant conduit des campagnes de fouilles récentes sur le sitePythéas de Marseille — explorateur massaliote contemporain de l'apogée du site, symbole des échanges entre Grecs et populations indigènes de la région
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Site archéologique de Roquepertuse located?
Site archéologique de Roquepertuse is located in Velaux, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
Is Site archéologique de Roquepertuse open to visitors?
Site archéologique de Roquepertuse is currently closed to visitors.