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Origin and history

The archaeological site of Coulanges-Mortillon, located near the hamlet of Mortillon in the Allier (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), is a Gallo-Roman pottery workshop of the Upper Empire (I–II century). Discovered in 1957 by doctors Chigot and J. Michel, he delivers sigilla debris, pottery, and a mould stamped Hortensius. Later excavations (1960–72), conducted notably by H. Vertet, revealed 14 circular furnaces, clay settling basins, and the remains of associated huts. Three production periods are identified: under Tiberius (14–37), the Flavians (end I s.), and in the second century (hadrian era, 117–138).

The production of the site is distinguished by its sigillated ceramics, its fine earth cups, and especially its stamped white earth mortars (e.g., ANNVS F, AVGVRINVS, CARATVCCVS). These objects, distributed as far as Burgundy (Autun, Alesia) and Côte d'Or, attest to an active regional trade. The site, threatened by road works in the 1970s, was classified as a historical monument in 1974 to preserve its archaeological plots (ovens, dumps, and signs of supposed port of embarkation).

No facilities prior to potter plants (I. s.) were identified, with the exception of neolithic flint. The site declined after the second century, leaving room for a medieval feudal motte. Stamps, such as MATVRV or VICANVS, offer clues about artisans and distribution networks, while excavations reveal a variety of cooking techniques (oxidizing ceramic, micacea). The works of H. Vertet and the publications in Gallia (1961, 1973) document its importance for the study of Gallo-Roman ceramics in central Gaul.

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