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Origin and history

The Departmental Museum of History and Archaeology, located near the Abbey of Arthous in Bélus, preserves major archaeological collections. Its prehistoric section, set up in 1979 by the Federal Council of Landes, consists of 21,144 pieces. These objects come from the excavations carried out by Robert Arambourou between 1958 and 1967 in the shelters of the Pastou cliff (Sorde-l'Abbaye). The Gallo-Roman collection, produced by Jean Lauffray (1958-1966), includes remains of the ancient villas of the Abbés and Barat-de-Vin, as well as mosaics and ceramics.

The museum also exhibits a stone fund of 90 pieces (chapitals, tombstones, modillons) from the Abbey of Arthous, founded in the 12th century by the Premonstrates. This site, sold as a national property at the Revolution, preserves an exceptional roman bedside, decorated with 59 modillons and 9 capitals. A 16th century monoxile boat, found in the Adour in 1966, and archaeological deposits of Mont-de-Marsan, Dax or Hastingues complete the collections. The museum thus illustrates the human occupation of the Country of Orthe, at the crossroads of Gascony, Basque Country and Béarn.

The abbey of Arthous, a strategic and economic place, played a key role in evangelization to the Spanish border. His museum offers two routes: "It was once Arthous", tracing the history of the priory in the ancient canon cells, and an exhibition on the Country of Orthe, from prehistory to modern times. Exposed objects, such as prehistoric tools or ancient mosaics, bear witness to the archaeological richness of this Land.

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