Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

In the commune of Pègue en Drôme Provençale, Saint-Marcel was an emporion (Greek commercial counter) active from the 6th century BC until -49. Ranked a historic monument in 1993, it bears witness to the intense exchanges between Massalia (Marseille) and local peoples, especially the Voconces, via pseudo-ionian pottery and wine amphora. Its economic role declined after the reopening of the maritime routes by the Phocaeans (-480-475), and it was burned by looters.

The first fat period (-525 to -400) reveals a grain trade against Greek wine, attested by black ceramics and attices. A cultural mix emerges with the local manufacture of pseudo-ionian pottery, proof of the adoption of Massaliotic practices. However, it is losing importance after -450, when Massalia again favours sea routes, leaving him vulnerable to attacks.

A second phase of prosperity comes thanks to Celtes, wine lovers, who revive trade (-400 to -350). The occupation reconstructs its attices, and excavations show a coexistence of Greek ceramics (red figures), pseudo-ionian and Gaulish. The Celts, by exchanging slaves for amphoras, are reinvigorating the local economy.

The third period (-350 to -200) marked the monetary climax of the site, with an abundance of Massaliote coins (Apollon head-boules). However, the Greek amphoras disappeared in favour of Gallic pottery, suggesting that the Gauls, now mastering the barrel, control the transport of wine. A low of 150 years separates this period from the arrival of the Italian-Greek amphoras.

The fourth and final phase (-125 to -49) saw the oppidum adapt to Roman domination in Provincia. The population is growing, and the coinage is evolving towards Gaulish money "to the rider". But the siege of Massalia by Caesar in -49 seals its decline: the occupation, deprived of its trading partner, is definitely abandoned.

Archaeological excavations exhumed traces of these four periods, revealing a key site for understanding Mediterranean exchanges and cultural interbreeding in southern Gaul. The pottery, coins and storage structures illustrate its pivotal role between the Greek and Celtic world, before its erasure after the Roman conquest.

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