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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur
  4. Bouches-du-Rhône
  5. 13310 Aureille

  6. Mileage

Mileage dans les Bouches-du-Rhône

Mileage

    Route Sans Nom
    13310 Aureille
Private property
Museums of France
All of France's engraved polishers, terminals and rocks
Photo de Mileage
Crédit photo : Otto Hirschfeld - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
100 av. J.-C.
0
…
1200
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
3 av. J.-C.
Terminal erection
1268
First written entry
1662
Location by Bergier
1882
Rediscovered by Villefosse
1934
First release
1er février 1945
Historical Monument
1998
Search by Michel Poguet
24 avril 2006
Connection to Aureille
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The mileage, northwest of the Mas d'Archimbaud-en-Crau (cad. AZ 13) (located in the territory of the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Crau on the order of 1945): classification by order of 1 February 1945, as amended by order of 24 April 2006

Key figures

Auguste - Roman Emperor Dedication of the terminal (3 B.C.).
Nicolas Bergier - Historician (17th century) Locate the terminal in 1662.
Antoine Héron de Villefosse - Archivist (19th century) Describes his rediscovery in 1882.
Fernand Benoit - Archaeologist (XX century) Clear the line in 1934.
Michel Poguet - Contemporary archaeologist Leads the 1998 excavations.

Origin and history

The Milestone of the Calanque, also known as the Aureille pillar, is a Roman vestige erected in 3 B.C. under the reign of Augustus. Located on Via Julia Augusta (or Via Aurelia), it materializes the fourth mile from Mouriès to Aix-en-Provence, on the border between Aureille and Saint-Martin-de-Crau. Breaked into two parts, it measures 0.59 m in diameter. His Latin inscription, partially restored, famous Auguste as Pater Patriae and mentions his titles of consul and tribune.

The historical location of the terminal has given rise to debate: mentioned in 1268 and rediscovered in the 17th century near the wood of Aureille, it was moved before the 19th century to be close to the ancient path. Found in 1934 and then in 1998, it was classified as a Historic Monument in 1945 under Saint-Martin-de-Crau, before being administratively attached to Aureille in 2006. Today, its fragments are no longer visible in situ, although the site remains accessible.

This terminal illustrates the Roman ancient network in Gaul Narbonnaise, linking Tarascon to Aix. It marks the boundary between the ancient territories of Crau d'Arles and Salon, alongside other miles dedicated to Auguste (such as those of Merle or Chabran). His inscription, studied by epigraphists such as Otto Hirschfeld and Manfred Clauss, offers a precise testimony of the imperial title and the Augustean road organization.

The ancient sources (Peiresc, Villefosse, Bergier) describe its initial location as marshy, near the Calanque, before its movement towards the mas d'Archimbaud-en-Crau. The excavations of Michel Poguet (1998) allowed to clarify its archaeological context, although uncertainties persist on its exact route. The boundary, though fragmentary, remains a key milestone in understanding the Romanization of Provence.

Ranked among the historical monuments of Bouches-du-Rhône, it is referenced in Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL XVII-2, 62) and works such as the Archaeological Map of Gaul. Its history reflects the challenges of preserving ancient remains, between displacement, excavation and territorial reallocation.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum