Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Oppidum des Caisses de Jean-Jean is a major archaeological site in the Alpilles, located in the commune of Mouriès (Bouches-du-Rhône). Placed in a natural bowl protected by limestone rock bars, it was occupied from the 6th to the 1st century BC. Its acropolis, accessible by a signposted path, dominates a plateau where remains remains of dwellings and fortifications. The excavations revealed walls from 1.50 to 2 metres high, dating from the 1st century BC, as well as older substructures (Vth-IVth centuries BC), showing continuous occupation.

The excavations carried out by Fernand Benoit between 1935 and 1942 revealed traces of intense occupation between the 5th and 2nd century BC, including native ceramics and Marseille coins. The site was protected by two ramparts surrounding a 300-metre esplanade, making the village almost impregnable. The houses, built in adobe without a large joint, housed objects such as blanket slabs and a Greek graffiti ("ορρεο"), suggesting cultural exchanges.

Highlights include limestone steles from Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, re-used in the ramparts. They are 1.80 metres tall and carry engravings of heroic horses and riders, now preserved in Arles. These steles, dated from the 6th to the 1st century BC, illustrate the symbolic importance of the site. The oppidum has been listed as historic monuments since 2 February 1937, highlighting its heritage value.

The hypothesis of an identification with the ancient Tericiae, mentioned on the Table of Puisinger, remains debated. This 13th century Roman map (copy of an ancient original) is located in Tericiae near Mouriès, west of the present village. Several researchers, including Fernand Benoit, proposed that the population of the oppidum migrated to the plain after the Roman peace, founding Tericiae between the Caisses, Castellas and the hamlet of Baumettes. However, this theory is not consensual, as some see it as a peripheral area of ancient habitat.

The site is linked to other oppida of the Alpilles by ancient paths, such as those leading to the castellas of Maussane and Aureille. Its spatial organization, with an artificial slope and a rampart comparable to Ensérune (Herault), suggests sophisticated defensive planning. The remains visible today include four houses searched, as well as elements of ramparts and carved steles, offering a glimpse of Celtic life in Provence before Romanization.

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