Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe)
MonumentHidden Treasure
Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe), located in Membrolles (Loir-et-Cher), is a ancient remains built in Antiquity. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Antiquity
- Location
- Membrolles, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9589, 1.4300
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098476
Laid out two millennia ago, the Gallo-Roman road at Membrolles cuts through the Beauce region like a stone arrow, a striking remnant of Roman engineering linking Orléans to Chartres.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Criss-crossing the cereal-growing plains of the Beauce region between Membrolles, Sémerville, Verdès and La Colombe, the Gallo-Roman road known as the "Julius Caesar Road" or the "Chartres Road" is one of the most tangible reminders of the Roman presence in Loir-et-Cher. Straight and with the geometric rigour typical of Roman engineers, it stretches for several kilometres across an open landscape where its route is still visible to the naked eye, sometimes highlighted by grassy embankments or ancient ruts fossilised in the soil. What makes this monument unique is precisely its apparent discretion: where a castle impresses by its verticality, the Gallo-Roman road impresses by its stubborn horizontality, its persistence through twenty centuries of agricultural history. It bears witness to a sophisticated territorial organisation that linked Cenabum (Orléans) to Autricum (Chartres), two major nerve centres of Roman Gaul, by crossing the land of the Carnutes. The visitor experience is first and foremost that of an archaeological walk in the heart of nature. To walk this route is to follow in the footsteps of the legionnaires, merchants and pilgrims who used it for centuries. In places, the ancient roadway is still exposed, revealing its characteristic curved profile and carefully arranged construction materials. The beauceron setting amplifies this sensation of travelling through time: the immense sky, the fields as far as the eye can see and the absence of any major relief give the road layout an exceptional legibility. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1978, the route benefits from protection that guarantees the preservation of its buried structures, inviting archaeology enthusiasts, hikers and those curious about history to enjoy an extraordinary experience.
Architecture
The Gallo-Roman road at Membrolles has the technical features typical of the major Roman roads in Northern Gaul. Its construction is based on the agger principle, a roadway raised above the level of the natural ground to facilitate drainage and ensure that it is passable in all seasons. There were generally several superimposed layers: a foundation of large limestone stones or local flint (the statumen), an intermediate level of crushed stones (the rudus), and a tarmac surface of packed gravel or slabs (the nucleus and summum dorsum), slightly curved to drain rainwater into the side ditches. The width of the carriageway, estimated at between 4 and 6 metres, was supplemented on either side by drainage ditches and verges, bringing the total length of the road to around 10 to 12 metres. This gauge allowed two ox carts to pass each other, a practical unit of measurement in Roman engineering. The route, which is characteristic of first-rate roads, is remarkably straight over long distances, with slight bends corresponding to local topographical adaptations or connections between segments of different layouts. In the Beauceron context, local materials - chalk flint and Perche limestone - make up the bulk of the construction, as hard stone is absent from this lowland sector. One of the main archaeological interests of the site is the good preservation of the deep levels of the causeway, preserved by their burial.
Related Figures
Jules César — général et homme d'État romain dont le nom est attaché par la tradition locale à la voie, en souvenir de la conquête de la Gaule (58-52 av. J.-C.)Les Carnutes — peuple gaulois dont le territoire correspondait à l'actuelle région chartraine, traversé par la voieVercingétorix — chef gaulois dont la révolte (52 av. J.-C.) se déroula en partie sur le territoire des Carnutes, rendant l'axe Cenabum-Autricum stratégiquement décisifLes arpenteurs romains (gromatici) — ingénieurs militaires responsables du tracé et de la construction des voies impériales en GauleLes érudits de la Société Archéologique de Vendômois (XIXe s.) — premiers chercheurs à documenter et cartographier le tracé de la voie en Loir-et-Cher
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) located?
Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) is located in Membrolles, Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) built?
Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) dates back to a period built during Antiquity.
Is Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) open to visitors?
Voie gallo-romaine dite voie de Jules César ou chemin de Chartres (également sur communes de Sémerville, Verdes et La Colombe) is currently closed to visitors.