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Key figures

Origin and history

The Oppidum de Gondole is a major archaeological site located in the commune of Ashre, Puy-de-Dôme, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Occupying a natural spur overlooking the Allier and Auzon valleys, it was protected by a 600-metre-long rampart, complete with a ditch and a slope. This defensive system, built on the southwest side where the land is less steep, bounded an internal area of 28 hectares, while the entire site, including the extramural areas, extended over 70 hectares.

The excavations revealed traces of artisanal activities (potter furnaces, forge shops) as well as a network of tracks linking Gondole to the adjacent oppidum of Gergau. The site also houses an exceptional necropolis, including a collective grave containing eight men and eight horses, revealing unprecedented funeral practices in Gaul. Roman military objects, discovered in a violent context, suggest clashes before its abandonment around 30-20 BC.

The Gondole oppidum was part of the three main agglomerations of the Arvernes, together with Gergau and Corent, at the end of the period of La Tène D2. Its occupation, dense in the first century BC, bears witness to the central role of the site in the region, as evidenced by the vestiges of quadrangular or circular structures and furniture linked to an elite warrior in contact with Rome. Ranked a Historic Monument in 2009, the site remains a valuable source for understanding the Gaulian social and military organization before the Roman conquest.

The strategic location of Gondole, at the edge of Clermont-Ferrand, makes it a key control point between the river valleys and the surrounding plateaus. Prospects have also revealed previous occupations dating back to Neolithic, although the Gaulish period remains the best documented. Today, the site, a mixed property (department, commune, private), offers a rare archaeological testimony on the transition between the Iron Age and Romanization in Auvergne.

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