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Origin and history

The Roman ruins of the Mazelles are part of the ancient site of Tasciaca, a Gallo-Roman vicus mentioned on the table of Puisinger as a stage between Bourges (Avaricum) and Tours (Caesarodunum). This site extended to the communes of Theseus, Pouillé and Monthou-sur-Cher, on both sides of the Cher, in the current department of Loir-et-Cher. Tasciaca, active from the beginning of our Common Era, experienced its climax under the High Empire (I–II centuries) thanks to intense artisanal production: common ceramics, glassware and metal objects. Its decline began in the third century, although traces of occupation persisted until the Merovingian era.

The Mazelles complex, classified as a historical monument in 1840, is the most emblematic vestige of Tasciaca. Located on the right bank of the Cher, it comprises four main buildings, including a 48-metre-long monumental building, possibly linked to river or road trade. The excavations revealed various construction techniques (opus spicatum, pink mortars) and rare archaeological furniture, suggesting an administrative, commercial or artisanal function. The hypothesis of a warehouse or mansio (road relay) is preferred, although alternative theories, such as a wine cellar, have been mentioned.

The site also includes a fanum (Gallo-Roman Sanctuary) on the left bank, associated with a basin with the presumed healing virtues, as well as some 40 potter kilns whose productions were spread in the region. The remains of Tasciaca, although partially degraded, bear witness to a strategic secondary agglomeration, at the crossroads of three civitates (Turons, Carnuts, Bituriges Cubes) and major communication axes. Their study, initiated in the eighteenth century, intensified in the twentieth century, with excavation campaigns led by figures such as Georges Gaume or Claude Bourgeois.

The preservation of the Mazelles owes much to the writer Maurice Druon, who acquired the plots in the 1960s to save them from real estate speculation, before giving them to the departmental council. Today, the site is partially accessible to the public, with explanatory panels and a local museum dedicated to its history. However, many areas, such as the heart of the agglomeration or the remains of Monthou-sur-Cher, remain unexplored or buried, leaving uncertainties about the extent and precise functions of Tasciaca.

Recent research (2003–2007) confirmed the extent of the site over 2.5 km along the Cher, revealing potential public buildings, hypothetical thermal baths and traces of occupation from the Mesolithic era. Despite these advances, the absence of exhaustive excavations in the present village of Thesée limits the overall understanding of the site. Tasciaca thus illustrates the challenges of archaeology of Roman secondary agglomerations, where the remains, often fragmentary, require an interdisciplinary approach to restore their role in the Gallo-Roman urban network.

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