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Origin and history

The tumuli of Bussy-le-Château, located in the department of Marne (Great East), are the traces of three medieval seigneuries. Five castral mots lined up along the Noblette River, the first of which, called Tholengo Castle (or the big average), depended on the disappeared castle of Bussy. The second, 17 meters high and named Thoulojon motte, housed the seat of an eponymous castle, with a low courtyard formed by the next motte. This tumulus was acquired in 1863 by the department as a memorial to the Battle of Mauriac (451), where Attila was allegedly defeated by the Romans.

The fourth tumulus, the Voisaiterie, partially disappeared under the crops, while the fifth, the most imposing Châtel, served as the basis for the château du vidame de Châlons. A windmill was built there in 1777 with, according to tradition, stones from the castle today gone. These mots were explored in the 19th century as part of research on the battle of the Catalan fields (451), without conclusive archaeological evidence. The excavations, led by Liebault and Léon Morel, fed the collections of the Musée d'Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Only one of the tumuli, owned by the Marne department, has been listed as a historical monument since 1930. The objects discovered, shared between the national museum and Mr. Morel's private collection, testify to the strategic importance of this site. Napoleon III had ordered excavations to clarify the link with the battle of 451, but no definitive trace was identified. Today, the site remains a marker of the medieval heritage and historical debates about the barbaric invasions in Gaul.

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