Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The departmental archaeological museum of Jublains was inaugurated in 1995 at the very site of the former Gallo-Roman fortress of the municipality. Originally designed to cover a period from prehistory to the sixteenth century, it was refocused after its renovation in 2002 on the Gallo-Roman and Gallo-Gaulian eras, building on local discoveries and deposits of the Laval and Mayenne museums. Its collections come from the excavations of the Jublains Sanctuary and the Gallic farms of the country of Craon, offering a panorama of lifestyles, cults and infrastructure (Roman roads, aqueduct) of the region.

The museum journey, organized chronologically and thematically, begins with the Iron Age in Mayenne, highlighting objects such as bronze age bracelets (ca. 1500–1200 BC) or a Gaulish sword. Two thirds of the space is then devoted to the Gallo-Roman period, with flagship plays such as a fragment of the inscription of the theatre (I century AD), a pillar to masks, or ex-votos (fibules, votive statuettes) from the local sanctuary. The museum uses digital tools, such as a virtual visit to the fortress, to make the history of Noviodunum, the former capital of the Aulercas Diablientes, accessible.

The institution is labeled Musée de France and is distinguished by its pedagogical approach, avoiding the accumulation of objects in favour of contextualised presentations, accompanied by clear texts. Among its recurring events is the Nuit des musées, while its activities revolve around the enhancement of the archaeological site of Jublains, classified among the Gallo-Roman major ensembles of the West of France. The collections also include merovingian elements (loop-plate, fibula), reflecting the transition between Antiquity and the Middle Ages in the region.

The museum is located at 13 Rue de la Libération, close to the remains of the fortress. Its address and location (code Insee 53016) place it in the heart of a territory marked by the heritage of the Aulerques Diablintes, the Gaulish people having left significant architectural and artisanal traces. Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its role in disseminating local archaeological knowledge, supplemented by publications such as the J. Naveau Museum Guide (1998).

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