Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Our Lady of Pitié, in Marignane, is a major archaeological site of the Iron Age in Provence. Built in the fourth century B.C., it illustrates an organized human occupation around a fortified habitat, structured into three distinct islands. This protohistoric village, surrounded by towered ramparts, reflects a sedentary and hierarchical society, typical of the second iron age in southern Gaul. The excavations revealed a variety of ceramic furniture, including pseudo-attic pieces, massalite amphoras and black varnish vases, showing Mediterranean trade.

The site was abandoned in the early 2nd century B.C., for reasons still unknown, marking the end of its defensive and residential role. In the 17th century, a chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié was built there in 1636, partially reusing the ancient remains. Ranked Historic Monument in 2004, the oppidum now retains all its archaeological remains, protected by the municipality. Its state of conservation and its furniture offer valuable insight into the ways of life and the networks of exchanges of the southern Gaulish populations before Romanization.

The excavations highlighted four successive phases of occupation, revealing an architectural and social evolution over nearly two centuries. The rampart, a central element of the defence, as well as the associated towers, underline the strategic importance of the site in an area marked by massaliotic (Greek) influences and local dynamics. The absence of contemporary written sources makes material artifacts, such as imported ceramics, essential to reconstruct the history of this place.

The location of the poppidum near the present Marignane suggests a control of the communication routes between the Berre pond and the Provencal hinterland. This geographical positioning, coupled with the diversity of furniture, confirms its integration into Mediterranean economic networks, while revealing a hybrid material culture, mixing local traditions and external contributions. The 17th century chapel, although after nearly two millennia, attests to a symbolic continuity of the site in the local religious and memorial landscape.

External links