They were located a few pillars away from Maison Carrée, in downtown Nîmes.
The remains of two Roman houses - two
domus
- have been brought to light on rue Pelloutier, in the center of what was once an urban island of the ancient Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus, Inrap announced on Monday.
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Identified since September at the site of a future building, the remains could only be partially excavated - almost a third - by the regional archaeological service of Drac Occitanie, under the direction of Bertrand Houix , when the work was interrupted, on February 12.
With an area estimated at several hundred square meters each, the
neighboring
domus
were both located around one hundred meters from the ancient city forum, of which only the Maison Carrée remains today.
The best-excavated perimeter of these houses has brought to light a vast reception room, around 40m2 wide, and to find some traces of the decorative program.
1/3 - The decor of the 1st century domus discovered in Nîmes Charlotte Gleize / Bertrand Houix / INRAP
2/3 - The decor of the 1st century domus discovered in Nîmes Charlotte Gleize / Bertrand Houix / INRAP
3/3 - The decor of the 1st century domus discovered in Nîmes Charlotte Gleize / Bertrand Houix / INRAP
A notable habitat
According to the remains of plaster found by archaeologists, this
domus
indeed had beautiful murals.
"
On their painted face, these plasters have a classic decoration with large red panels and black inter-panels welcoming refined candelabras
", underlined Inrap in a press release, evoking a type of composition typical of "
a very present fashion. in Roman Gaul in the 1st century AD
”.
As for the floor, it presented a colored covering in
sectile opus
- composed of various cut and tinted checkerboard marbles - reserved for the main axis of the house and associated with a decoration of black tesserae with geometric decoration arranged in hexagonal honeycombs. .
"
The choice of marble to enrich the decoration encourages attributing this domus to a notable of the ancient city of Nîmes
", estimated the archaeologists, who also date the marble paving around the 1st to the 2nd century AD.
J.-C ..
This richly decorated space could correspond to a triclinium, a dining room.
"
It is not completely certain, but the organization of the decoration on the ground could make one think of that because it leaves room on the sides and probably also at the back of the room for three benches
" proposed, with the usual precautions, Jean-Yves Breuil, Deputy Scientific and Technical Director Midi-Méditerranée of Inrap.
“
As we do not yet have the complete plan, that still leaves room for several hypotheses.
"
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In addition to the remarkable quality of its decor, the remains of a hypocaust - the Roman underfloor heating system - as well as the presence of ornamental pools also attest to the certain comfort enjoyed by the wealthy occupants of these ancient houses.
Installed near the forum, the economic and political center of the Roman city, the owners of these
domus
must therefore be part of the elite of Nemausus.
"
We are very close to the forum
" underlined Jean-Yves Breuil "
We are in a notable house, that is clear because we have elements of wealth, luxury, and we are close to the heart of the city.
"
Archaeological excavations carried out in Nîmes fairly regularly unearth vestiges taken from the ancient past of the city, at the time when the city was one of the oldest and most important agglomerations of the Gallo-Roman provinces of the Empire.
As such, the most spectacular discovery is undoubtedly that of the Pentheus mosaic, unearthed in 2006 on the site of another opulent domus, on the site of the Jean-Jaurès car park.
Extremely refined, this masterpiece dating from the 2nd century is now kept at the Musée de la Romanité.