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Origin and history

The archaeological site of the Fountain of the Oulié, near Saint-Denis-lès-Martel, is associated with the last battle of the Gauls' War in 51 BC. It marks the end of the Gaulish resistance against the Roman legions of Julius Caesar. The excavations revealed remains of Roman trenches and weapons typical of this period, confirming its role in the siege of Uxellodunum.

According to the Commentary on the Gauls' War (Book VIII), after the fall of Alésia, the Gallic leaders Drappès and Lucterios took refuge in the oppidum of Uxellodunum. Caesar ordered his encirclement and the water deprivation of the besieged by building a terrace (agger) and a 10-storey tower. The Gauls, thirsty, had to surrender. Caesar then cut off the hands of the surviving fighters.

The modern excavations (1997-2005) led by Jean-Pierre Girault confirmed the location of the spring drained by the Romans and exposed weapons (arrows, catapult lines) dated the first century BC. The basin initially identified by Cessac in 1865 was re-evaluated: the source would be 15 m lower, near an old washhouse. In 2001, the Ministry of Culture officially validated the identification of Puy d'Issolud as Uxellodunum.

The site, listed as historical monuments in 2010, preserves traces of Roman underground galleries and Gallic fortifications. Although some historians still dispute this location, the archaeological discoveries (sealed layer of the first century BC, armaments) make it a reference for the study of the end of the Gauls' war. Research continues to locate the Roman camps and the circumvallation system.

The exhumed material (sandal coats, projectiles) and the ballistic studies (1996-2006) helped to reconstruct the positions of the Roman tower and the war machines. These elements, presented at international symposia, have strengthened the credibility of the site as the theatre of the last confrontation between Caesar and the Cadurques, the Gallic people who own the oppidum.

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