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Origin and history

The Melas Milestone, also known as the Combes Terminal, is a Roman monument of the 2nd century (c. 145 AD), erected under the reign of Antonin the Pious. Discovered in a ravine near Teil (Ardèche), on the route of the Helvian Way, it indicates the fourth mile north of Alba Helviorum (now Alba-la-Romane) towards the Rhône. Its Latin inscription, engraved on a cylindrical barrel of blue-grey limestone (1.75 m high), attests to its function as a road locator in the Roman Empire. The original, which has been moved on several occasions, is now exhibited at the MuséAl museum of Alba-la-Romaine, while a faithful replica, made in 1992 by the tailor Jean Coulon, stands near the discovery site, in the town of Aubignas.

The history of this pillar is marked by successive shifts. Found "at the foot of the Coteau des Combes" (1861), it was taken back to the edge of the national road, then moved in 1932 on the river side after its classification as a Historic Monument. A third movement took place after 1932, along the N102, before its final transfer to the museum in 2013. The replica, funded by the Association of Friends of Melas, reproduces Roman techniques, including manual engraving of inscription. A common mistake attributes Hadrian's boundary, while she celebrates Antonin the Pious, her successor, as confirmed by the epigraphists René Rebuffat and Joëlle Napoli.

The Melas terminal is a rare and well-preserved testimony of the ardéchois miles, a series of terminals marking the Roman way. Its manufacture, around 145, coincides with a campaign of rapid bounding decided by Antonin le Pieux, as Ginette di Vita-Evrard stressed. R.P. Henri Thédenat noted in 1885 a red cross painted on the stone, a symbol of his later Christian reappropriation. Its hard limestone, semi-branchic, and its legible inscription are a special study for archaeologists, despite micro-cracks and natural wear. The terminal weighs about one tonne and is 1.32 m high (drum) for a diameter of 50 cm.

The archaeological sources lie at the boundary of the Teil and the Aubigras communes, near the Frayol torrent. Its original location, in a ravine, suggests a first move to place it on the roadside. The GPS coordinates of the replica (44° 34′ 17′′ N, 4° 37′ 58′′ E) differ from those of the discovery site (44° 33′ 41′′ N, 4° 38′ 53′′ E), reflecting 20th century road developments. Ranked in 1932, it illustrates Roman engineering in Galle Narbonnaise and the old network linking ancient cities. His study involved experts such as Pierre Arnaud, author of Roman Ways in Helvie (1966), or Ingemar König, specialist in the miles of Narbonnaise.

The Latin inscription, transcribed as "IMP.CAES.T.AELIO.HADR.AVG.ANTON.PIO.P.P.TRIB.POT.VII.COS.IIII.M.P.IIII", is translated as: "To Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrian Auguste Antonin the Pious, father of the Fatherland, in his 7th Tribunician power, consul for the 4th time, 4 thousand steps. This standardized formula confirms dating and membership in the Antonin Mile Series. The terminal, although displaced, remains a key marker of the Helvian Way, a major axis between the Rhône and the Cevennes. Its recent history, between vandalism and preservation, reflects the challenges of conservation of the ardèche heritage.

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