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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The remains of a Gallo-Roman building in Suaux, in the department of Charente (New Aquitaine), date from the first and second centuries. Discovered in 1961 near the Roman road linking Saintes to Limoges and Lyon (via Agrippa), these remains occupy one hectare at the place called Chez Michaud. The excavations, especially those of 1973, revealed a villa of about 50 rooms, including commons, terraces, gardens and a lime oven. Nineteen pilasters and eleven barrels of columns (including one painted in red ochre) were exhumed, accompanied by frescoes, bronze coins, ceramics (including a vase sigillated from the Lezoux workshop) and pottery.

The architecture and the objects discovered (edge tiles, tripod vases, urns) suggest a domestic and artisanal occupation. The site, classified as a historical monument on 16 August 1973, was covered after the excavations had stopped to preserve it. Its spatial organization and its decorations (frescoes, coloured coatings) testify to a prosperous Roman villa, probably linked to trade along the Agrippa way.

The protection of the site in 1973 saved a rare archaeological complex in Poitou-Charentes. The objects, like the vase signed Butrio (early 2nd century), illustrate the links with the ceramic workshops of Lezoux (Auvergne). Although the excavations have ceased, the remains remain a major testimony of the Gallo-Roman occupation in the southwest of Gaul, between agricultural, artisanal and road activities.

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