Le Couvent des Chèvres au Pouzin (Ardèche) : découverte d’un site fortifié de hauteur tardo-antique

摘要

The Convent of the Goats is known regionally for its remains of a Romanesque priory of Clunisian obedience. In 2003, the project of extending a quarry belonging to the Lafarge firm allowed several test holes on its periphery. The remains of an imposing wall dating back to the Vth century were discovered which, in addition to the priory, isolated an area of probably five hectares. This perched site thus appears to have been one of the most important in the middle and lower Rhône valley. The purpose of this paper is to present the unexpected results of these archaeological test holes and propose an interpretation based on a new reading of the literary and epigraphic data available on this district. The main question we tried to answer is the following: why did public authorities created such a site in such a place?