Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman leugary pillar of Biozat, located near the Church of Saint-Symphorian, dates from the reign of Hadrian (120-121). It is the 17th place since Civitas Arvernorum (Clermont-Ferrand), capital of the province of Aquitania. Originally cylindrical, it was severed and removed to serve as a sarcophagus after the Gallo-Roman era. His Latin inscription honors Hadrian and specifies his distance from Clermont, reflecting the Roman road network.

The terminal, which was 1.5 m high, was rediscovered in 1841 during plantations near the church. Originally moved to the park of a chestnut to serve as a dam, it was classified as a historic monument in 1946. Its re-use as a sarcophagus, visible through excavations and a basal orifice, illustrates post-antical funeral practices. A celtic block, found in the same place, completes the archaeological assembly.

Biozat, integrated into the Roman Aquitania, benefited from this road infrastructure linking the cities. The boundary bears witness to the imperial administration and the romanization of the Arvern territories. Its registration, partly abbreviated, details the titles of Hadrian (pontife, consul, pater patriae) and its link with the Civitas Arvernorum. The current location on the church lawn preserves this vestige in its historical context.

Ranked in 1946, the terminal is now a marker of the Roman road heritage in Auvergne. Its altered condition (severing, obviously) reveals both its primary use and its medieval or modern reuse. The sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) underline its importance for the study of ancient ways and practices of material reuse.

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