Apex of the Lemovices Ier siècle av. J.-C. (≈ 51 av. J.-C.)
Period of main occupation of the oppidum.
1923
First archaeological excavations
First archaeological excavations 1923 (≈ 1923)
Discovery of iron, bronze and pottery objects.
1981, 1988, 1989
Classification and registration
Classification and registration 1981, 1988, 1989 (≈ 1989)
Protection of ramparts and archaeological plots.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Remaining substitutes of the oppidum place-dits Les Linières, Les Sagnettes, Le Courieux and Moulin de Villejoubert (Case D 3, 18, 40, 41, 372, 412): classification by order of 26 February 1981 - Parcelles correspondant à l'oppidum gaulois de Villejoubert (Case D 4, 5, 10, 12, 42, 43, 45, 46, 103 to 112, 130 to 133, 135 to 138, 146 to 149, 191 to 194, 370, 384, 442) : inscription by order of 18 July 1988 - Section of the rampart of the oppidum of Villejoubert consisting of plots D 17, 391, 395, 396, 398, 421 : classification by order of 3 March 1989
Key figures
Charles Gorceix - Archaeologist
Directs the first excavations in 1923.
Franck Delage - Archaeologist
Collaborate in the excavations of 1922-1923.
Origin and history
L'oppidum de Villejoubert is a major archaeological site of the period of La Tène 3 (Age du fer 2), located in the commune of Saint-Denis-des-Murs, in the department of Haute-Vienne. This site, classified as a historical monument in 1981, 1989 and registered in 1988, is considered one of the main Gaulish remains of the Limousin. It was said to have served as a capital for the people of the Lemovies, then occupying most of the territory of Limousin in the first century BC. Its name comes from the neighbouring hamlet, and its importance is underlined by its exceptional size (about 300 hectares), delimited by two ramparts and a quadrangular enclosure near the confluence of the Vienna and Maunde.
Villejoubert's L-oppidum stands out for its defensive structure in barred spur, with an exterior rampart up to 18 metres high in its best preserved parts. Inside, remains of habitat and traces of a cultural enclosure were identified. This site dominates the territory of the Lemovices, integrating a network of less imposing fortified sites. Its strategic role is reinforced by a pre-Roman route through it, linking the Auvergne to the Poitou without passing through Limoges, making it a key geographical and cultural crossroads.
The archaeological excavations, initiated in 1923 by Charles Gorceix and Franck Delage, revealed significant objects such as an iron axe, a tin massicot, bronze artifacts and pottery. These discoveries demonstrate the site's artisanal and commercial importance. The rectangular-shaped L-oppidum (4 km long and 600 m wide) illustrates the Gaulish spatial and defensive organization at the end of the Iron Age. Its classification as a historical monument today protects the remaining ramparts and archaeological plots, thus preserving an essential heritage to understand the Gaulish civilization in Limousin.
