Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

L-Etoile's L-oppidum, locally nicknamed "Camp Caesar", is a fortified site dating back to the late Bronze Age and the Gauls' War. Located in the municipality of L-Etoile (Somme), 24 km west of Amiens, it occupies an oval spur of 10 hectares, naturally protected by cliffs on three sides and by ramparts on the fourth. The excavations revealed remains ranging from Neolithic to Merovingian times, including bronze helmets (circa 1800 B.C.), pottery, Roman coins and a fanum (Gallo-Roman Sanctuary).

The history of the site has been documented since the 18th century. Father Fontenu dated it from the 4th century in 1734, while Alexander Louis of Allonville attributed it to Julius Caesar in 1828. In the 19th century, O. de Vauvillé proved his anteriority to the Roman conquest. Ranked as a historic monument in 1862, the oppidum also housed a medieval castral motte, linked to the fief of the Chatelan d'Amiens. Its present name ("Camp Caesar") appeared from 1644, although its occupation dates back millennia.

The defences of the oppidum included deep ditches (up to 12 m) and squamous earth lifts, with a hidden entrance. A 4 m ditch-protected tarter at the southwest end could be the source of the later feudal moth. Today wooded, the site preserves remains of ramparts culminating at 6 m, evidence of its strategic role during antiquity and beyond.

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