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Origin and history

A major archaeological site of the Protohistory is the Châteliers, located in Amboise in Indre-et-Loire. Located on a limestone spur that dominates the confluence of the Loire and the Amass, it covers up to 50 hectares. Its occupation dates back to the Paleolithic, with a sedentarization attested from the Neolithic in its western part, where a first rampart ensnared 8 hectares. Caesar's butt, a likely tumulus of the Bronze Age, occupies its geometric center.

From La Tene D1b (circa 100 B.C.), the oppidum extends eastward, protected by a massive rampart of 800 metres long, characteristic of the barred spurs. The excavations reveal a rational urban organization: structural roads, specialized artisanal areas (metallurgy, pottery), and a cultural area of 3 hectares with at least three fana (Gaulous temples). Ambacia, the ancient name of the site, is then probably the capital of the Turones, the Gallic people whose territory extends into Touraine.

The Roman conquest marks a turning point. After a possible decline under Augustus (27 B.C. – 14 A.D.), the site is reoriented to craft activities in the 1st century, perhaps to supply Caesardunum (Tours), a new administrative capital. The pottery, metallurgy and tablet shops flourish until the second century, while the pagan temples persist: Sulpice-Severe reports in the fourth century the destruction of a sanctuary by Saint Martin. The gradual abandonment between the third and fifth centuries gave way to cultures, paradoxically preserving the remains for modern archaeology.

The excavations, initiated in the 19th century and systematized since the 1970s, exhumed thousands of objects: Gaulish coins (including gossips with diabolical heads), votive statuettes (linked to Cernunnos or Epona), and tools attesting to distant exchanges (Tuscan, Franche-Comté). The rampart and the fana are classified as Historical Monuments in 1985-1987. Today, the plateau, partially urbanized, remains an archaeological reserve where research continues, revealing one of the largest Gallic agglomerations in France.

The site is part of a network of ancient ways linking Orleans to Tours, with hypotheses of river ports on the Loire. Its decline coincides with the rise of Tours, but its topographical heritage persists: the medieval castle of Amboise occupies the end of the eperon, while the Gallic rampart, still visible, highlights the thousand-year-old continuity between the city of Gaul and the modern city.

Recent studies, such as those of Jean-Marie Laruaz (2009-2019), confirm the central role of Ambacia in turone urbanization. The remains, protected by a layer of medieval land, offer an exceptional archaeological potential, now enhanced by educational panels for visitors.

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