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Origin and history

Moulay Oppidum, also known as the Mesnil Oppidum, is a major archaeological site in the commune of Moulay, in the department of Mayenne (Pays de la Loire). This strategic place, at the confluence of Mayenne and Aron, controlled a ford and offered a natural defensive position. Long nicknamed "Camp of Caesar", its Gaulish origin was confirmed only from the excavations of 1972-1975, revealing a first enclosure of 12 hectares and remains exposed to the Departmental Archaeological Museum of Jublains. The Murus gallicus rampart was preceded by a ditch and dominated by a dry stone poterne.

The initial excavations revealed traces of bronze craftsmanship (strap moulds, slags), American ceramics, and nearly 200 millstones dated from La Tene finale. In 2004, the discovery of a second 1,200-metre rampart expanded the site to 135 hectares, making Moulay the largest oppidum of the Armenian Massif and one of the 10 largest in France. A search programmed between 2009 and 2011, covering 11 hectares, revealed an orthogonal urban organization, with specialized districts (houses, crafts, religion) and a waste water network.

In the second century BC, the capital of the Aulercas Diablintes was surrounded by secondary centres such as Jublains. No evidence of violent destruction explains his abandonment in Roman times, suggesting a gradual transition to Jublains. The site illustrates advanced urban planning for the time, requiring a powerful local elite. The two enclosures, the second of which dates from an extension to the 1st century B.C., make it a "spared spur with multiple dams," according to archaeologist E. Le Goff.

The excavations also identified two Gallic farms (in Moulay and Aron), confirming a dense occupation on at least 80 hectares. Archaeological furniture, dated from the late Gaulish era, includes torchi elements and objects related to agriculture and handicrafts. The 2009-2011 site, the largest in Europe for an oppidum, was used to study the internal organisation of the site, revealing standardized housing enclosures and structured public spaces.

The main bulwark was listed as historical monuments on 26 May 1986. The remains, preserved at the Jublains Museum, testify to the strategic and economic importance of Moulay, the heart of a political system covering a territory equivalent to a current department. The absence of violence in its abandonment still questions archaeologists, while future publications could shed light on the links between the two fora and their exact chronology.

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