Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Vertilum is a major archaeological site located on the plateau overlooking the commune of Vertault (Côte-d'Or), in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. Founded as a Gallic oppidum gilded with a gallicus muru attributed to the Lingons (first century), it extended over 25 hectares before becoming a prosperous Gallo-Roman vicus between the first and third centuries. The city, populated by 3,000 to 5,000 inhabitants, housed typical infrastructures: forum, thermal baths, temple, residential areas and administrative center. Its decline began in the third century, accelerated by a vandal invasion in the fourth century, marking the end of its occupation with the last pieces dated Arcadius and Honorius.

The first excavations, carried out in 1846 by Lucien Coutant, revealed the temple and the thermal baths, but were often destructive. The Châtillonnais Archaeological Society continued research from 1882 to 1939, discovering buried habitats and an imposing enclosure. In 1977, local elected representatives launched the development of the site, highlighting four poles: ramparts, habitats, thermal baths and temple. In 1988 and 1996, new campaigns exhumed a fanum (sanctuary) near the present church and the constructions of the Final Supper on the neighbouring municipality of Molesme.

Vertilum was a metallurgical center specialized in copper alloys, producing handles (including dolphin-shaped models), dishes, keys, locks and utility objects. The techniques used included foundry and sheet metal to cover bronze iron. An animal necropolis (200 dogs, 42 horses, etc.) and eight human burials were discovered near the extramural fanum. The objects discovered, often poorly documented during ancient excavations, are now preserved at the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1875, the site was transferred to Vertault in 2007. Since 1984, modern research and development activities (Association Revivre en Haute Bourgogne) aim to preserve the remains, despite the damage caused by past excavations. It illustrates the transition between Gallo-Roman and Gallo-Roman cultures and the role of secondary agglomerations in the territorial organisation of the Lingons.

Local artisanal production, marked by typical bronze objects (such as dolphin handles), reflects a dynamic economy integrated into regional commercial networks. The last occupations date from the beginning of the fifth century, coinciding with the Christianization of the Roman Empire and the upheavals linked to the barbaric invasions. Today, Vertilum remains a key place to understand urbanization and religious practices in Roman Gaul.

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