Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The wooden enclosures of the Goislardières and the so-called Camp Romain in Saint-Denis-Lanneray (Eure-et-Loir) are typical examples of the Viereckschanzen, quadrangular enclosures characteristic of the late Iron Age. These structures, often associated with ritual or cultual functions, are distinguished by their partially preserved ditches and uplifts. The first enclosure preserved its ditches only to the southeast and north, while its land rise, intact throughout the route, has raised angles, a recurrent architectural feature in this type of monument.

The second enclosure, known as Le Camp Romain, is characterized by a damaged shape in the west and a south angle marked by a small mooring of ditches, located at the highest point of the site. As with the first, its angles of rise are raised, reinforcing the hypothesis of a symbolic or religious vocation. These two forums, which have been protected since 1987, illustrate the occupation and cultural practices of the Gaulish populations before Romanization, in an area where this type of structure is relatively frequent.

Classified as Historical Monument by decree of 21 August 1987, these enclosures testify to the engineering and spatial organization of Iron Age societies. Their varying state of conservation — partially filled ditches, still visible upland — offers an overview of the construction techniques and possible uses of these spaces, although their exact function (cultural, defensive or community) remains subject to interpretation by archaeologists. Approximate localization and the absence of contemporary written sources limit a precise dating, but their typology clearly links them to the laten period (IIth–I century BC).

External links