Start of occupation (Chalcolithic) 2300-1800 av. J.-C. (≈ 2050 av. J.-C.)
First trace of habitat on site.
450-300 av. J.-C.
Age of Iron
Age of Iron 450-300 av. J.-C. (≈ 375 av. J.-C.)
Period of intense occupation before abandonment.
IIe siècle av. J.-C.
Abandonment of the site
Abandonment of the site IIe siècle av. J.-C. (≈ 151 av. J.-C.)
Move to "La Gravisse".
1978
Beginning of archaeological excavations
Beginning of archaeological excavations 1978 (≈ 1978)
First scientific research campaign.
30 septembre 1991
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 30 septembre 1991 (≈ 1991)
Official site protection.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Chastel Protohistoric Site (Box YB 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 177, 178, 205, 207, 219, 222): Registration by Order of 30 September 1991
Key figures
Information non disponible - No historical character cited
Sources do not mention any actors.
Origin and history
The protohistoric site of Chastel is an open-air archaeological deposit located at Aiguillon, Lot-et-Garonne, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Continuously occupied with the final Neolithic (Chalcolithic, circa 2300-1800 B.C.) until the beginning of the Second Iron Age (450-300 B.C.), he showed a human presence over nearly three millennia. Its strategic location, at the confluence of the Lot, the Baise and the Garonne, makes it a crossroads between the east-west (Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean) and north-south (Pyrénées to Massif Central). The site, with an area of 2 hectares, has traces of ditches and slope suggesting a defensive function.
The excavations, initiated in 1978, revealed characteristic structures such as pillar holes, pottery fragments and culinary reliefs. These findings confirm a dense human occupation, with traces of organized habitats. Aerial photographs and archaeological studies have identified a protection system (fossed and sloped), indicating a willingness to guard against possible external threats. The site appears to have been abandoned around the 2nd century BC, with the habitat moving to a nearby place called the Graviss, located 100 metres away from the alluvial terrace.
The exceptional character of the site led to its registration as historic monuments on 30 September 1991. The protected elements cover several cadastral plots, mixing private and communal properties. Although the practical information about his visit remains limited, its archaeological importance makes it a key testimony of the dynamics of human occupation in Aquitaine during the Protohistory. The location, noted as poor (precision 5/10), would locate the site near 22 Avenue du Maréchal-Joffre in Aiguillon, according to the available coordinates.
The periods of construction extend mainly to the Chalcolithic and Iron Age, with remarkable continuity in residential and craft practices. Ceramics and discovered objects illustrate cultural and economic exchanges, typical of protohistoric societies in the region. The absence of any mention of specific historical characters or significant events in the available sources limits the knowledge of the direct actors of this site, but its study enlightens the lifestyles and spatial organization of the communities of the time.
