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Origin and history

The Mélas Milestone, also known as the Combes Terminal, is a second century Roman vestige discovered in a ravine near Teil, in Ardèche. Cut in blue grey limestone, it is 1.75 m high with a diameter of 50.6 cm and weighs about one tonne. Its Latin inscription, dated 145 AD, indicates that it was erected under Antonin le Pieux, the successor of Hadrian, marking the 4th mile of the Helvian way from Alba Helviorum (Alba la Romaine) towards the Rhone. The pillar was found at the foot of the Combes hill, near a tributary of the Frayol, and moved several times before being classified as a historical monument on August 10, 1932.

The original, after having been exhibited under the balcony of the archaeological documentation center of Alba, is now preserved at the Museum MuséAl d A replica, made in 1992 by stone tailor Jean Coulon under the direction of René Rebuffat (CNRS), was installed near the discovery site, on a parking area along the N102 road. This copy, funded by the Association of Friends of Melas and Heritage, faithfully reproduces Roman techniques, including the engraved inscription in the gravelet. However, an adjacent explanatory plate contains errors, wrongly assigning the terminal to Hadrian instead of Antonin the Pious.

The Mélas terminal is one of the few miles of the Helvian track still well preserved, legible and localizable. His study has attracted the attention of archaeologists since the 19th century, as evidenced by the work of Jacques Rouchier (1861) or Henri Thédenat, who mentions a red cross painted on the stone to "christianize it". Its initial movement from the ravine towards the edge of the road, then towards a base in 1932, reflects the efforts to preserve this testimony of the Roman road network in Galle Narbonnaise. The route, linking Alba to the Rhône, played a key role in regional trade under the Empire.

Latin inscription, transcribed as imp.caes t.aelio hadr aug anton pio. p.p trib.pot.VII cos. IIII m.p.IIII, is translated as: "To Emperor Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrian Auguste Antonin pious, father of the Fatherland, in his 7th Tribunician power, consul for the 4th time, 4 thousand steps". This mile, manufactured or laid at the beginning of 145, illustrates the policy of systematic bounding of the tracks under Antonin the Pious, perhaps decided in emergency a few months before. Its hard limestone, semi-branchic, and later enhanced engraving make it easier to read, despite micro-cracks and natural wear.

The successive movements of the terminal — from the ravine to the N540 (now N102), then to Alba — are explained by conservation and accessibility requirements. After acts of vandalism and widening of the road in 1990-1991, the replica was installed 2 km northwest of the original site (coordinates: 44° 34′ 17′′ N, 4° 37′ 58′′ E). The original, for its part, was first stored at the archaeological documentation centre in Alba before integrating the collections of the MuséAl museum, where it is now exhibited in the reception room.

This Mile testifies to the Roman engineering in Ardèche and the strategic importance of the Helvian Way, linking the city of Alba to the Rhone River. His study, coupled with that of the estimated 50 miles of the series, illuminates the organization of the territory under the Empire. Rene Rebuffat's (CNRS) and Joëlle Napoli's research have helped to clarify its historical and epigraphic context, while 19th-century archives, such as those of R.P. Thédenat, document its first mentions and Christianized iconography.

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