Hunting IVe millénaire av. J.-C. (Néolithique moyen) (≈ 4100 av. J.-C.)
First sign of significant habitat on site.
Début du Ier millénaire av. J.-C. (Âge du Bronze final)
Main fortification
Main fortification Début du Ier millénaire av. J.-C. (Âge du Bronze final) (≈ 1010 av. J.-C.)
Construction of major defensive ramparts.
1951
Opening a career
Opening a career 1951 (≈ 1951)
Searches revealing ancient occupations.
15 avril 1988
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 15 avril 1988 (≈ 1988)
Official protection of the barred spur.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Eperon barré (Box E1 624) : inscription by order of 15 April 1988
Origin and history
Camp César, located in Catenoy, Oise, is a barred spur extending 5 km west east and 3 km north to south. This wooded plateau dominates a belt of villages, as well as peatlands and valley bottoms, offering a remarkable strategic position. His occupation is attested from the Middle Neolithic (IVth millennium BC), with a strong presence in the Chassen, then at the age of the Final Bronze (beginning of the 1st millennium BC), as well as at the Gallo-Roman and Merovingian eras. The excavations carried out near the site, especially after the opening of a quarry in 1951, revealed these successive traces of occupation.
The main fortification of the oppidum dates back to the Middle Neolithic and Final Bronze Age, demonstrating its defensive and community role from these periods. The site also experienced a significant occupation in the Roman and Merovingian era, reflecting its continuous importance throughout the ages. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1988 for its barred spur, Camp César illustrates the evolution of human settlements and their protection systems in northern France, from prehistoric times to the early Middle Ages.
The location of the site, although known with an accuracy deemed "a priori satisfactory" (note 6/10), remains a subject of study for archaeologists. Its listing in the inventory of Historic Monuments highlights its heritage value, particularly for the understanding of the dynamics of occupation of the territory in the region of Hauts-de-France, formerly Picardie. The available data are mainly from Monumentum sources and internal archives, without reference to site-specific historical characters.
