Product Description

The Midi, between the Massif Central and the Mediterranean, is the region of France that is richest in archaeological treasures, and these are described in the OAG to South France. The earliest of these date back to the Palaeolithic period, some twenty thousand years ago, when our ancestors were decorating caves and rock shelters with dramatic depictions of hunting and ritual. Later human cultural evolution in the region is represented by strongly defended hilltop settlements and by impressive funeral mounds and dolmens. Greek colonists arrived around 600 BC and set up towns along the coast, trading with the local peoples, and these are the origins of the main towns of the present day, such as Marseilles, Nice, and Arles. The region was annexed by Rome in the 2nd century BC and the prosperous new province was endowed with many fine public buildings, such as the amphitheatres and theatres at Arles, Nimes, and Orange, the network of roads, and massive towns walls, as at Carcassonne. In addition, there is plenty of evidence of more mundane aspects of daily life, such as the water-mill at Barbegal, the potteries of La Graufesenque, and the houses of the town dwellers at Vaison-la-Romaine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #896177 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The mountainous regions of southern France, historian Fernand Braudel observed, were settled earlier and more heavily than most other regions in the Mediterranean. In Southern France: an Oxford Archaeological Guide, the coastal town of Lattes, writes British archaeologist Cleere by way of example, has been settled since the early Neolithic, or nearly six millennia, its inhabitants then as now drawn by its handsome lagoons and fertile fields.

Cleere describes 104 sites in the region from the Gironde to the Maritime Alps, keying directions to the Michelin 1:200, 000 series of maps. A few of those sites will be well known to travellers with an interest in ancient history: the Maison Carrée and the fine Roman arena at Nimes, for instance, or the great amphitheatre at Arles. Other sites are less well known but of great historical significance, such as the stone hillforts on the Plateau de Jastres, where the Arveni chieftain Vercingetorix suffered defeat at the hands of Julius Caesar, and the great limestone caverns at Le Mas d'Azil, where magnificent examples of late Magdalenian period cave art have been found. The book is illustrated with high-quality photographs, maps, architectural plans and line drawings and accompanied by sidebars explaining points of historical and cultural interest, including notes on the eerie Celtic "severed head cult" and the development of the Aretine pottery industry in southern France.

The book makes a splendid companion for travellers seeking a window into the ancient past, one that will take them away from the crowds and into little-explored country. --Gregory McNamee

About the Author
Henry Cleere was for eighteen years Director of the Council for British Archaeology. Since 1992 he has been a consultant to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in Paris, coordinating its work as advisor on cultural heritage to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. He is also Visiting Professor in Archaeological Heritage Management at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Customer Reviews

Very good, but too compact
Oxford University Press has published a series of archaeological guidebooks. So far, seven volumes have appeared: Greece, the Holy Land, Rome, Scotland, Southern France, Spain and England. The series is edited by Barry Cunliffe, who is professor of European archaeology at Oxford University and one of the most famous British archaeologists. As a young man he took part in the excavations of Fishbourne Palace in southern England. The official guidebook about this site is written by him. He is also the author of the official guidebook about the Roman baths in Bath.

Henry Cleere was director of the Council for British Archaeology for 18 years. Since 1992, he has been a consultant for the International Council on Monuments and Sites located in Paris.

The archaeological guidebook for southern France covers 104 sites in five different regions and from six different historical periods. The five regions covered (in whole or partially) are Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Côte d'Azur, and Rhône-Alpes. The six historical periods are Palaeolithic time, Neolithic time, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Greek colonial period, and the Gallo-Roman period.

The book begins with a historical introduction covering a number of relevant topics such as natural resources, communication, war and death (27 pages). The main section of the book with the 104 sites is divided into five chapters corresponding to the five regions. Within each chapter, the sites are listed in alphabetical order.

The book concludes with a chronological survey, a glossary, a list of museums and an annotated bibliography. There are two indexes. The first one covers the sites, the second is a general index covering persons, topics, etc.

The book is illustrated with a number of black and white photographs and a number of drawings, partly maps of some cities, partly maps of some archaeological zones.

Scattered around the book there are 31 separate sidebars covering different topics that are relevant for archaeology and history in southern France, such as Roman baths, theatres, amphitheatres, and roads.

The description of individual sites varies a good deal. Barbégal, where you can see a rare example of Roman industry, gets only two pages. On the other hand, Orange gets four, Pont du Gard five and Vaison-la-Romaine seven.

In my opinion, the contents of this book are correct and relevant. I had it with me on a trip to southern France during which I had the opportunity to check its facts down to the smallest detail, and my general conclusion is that Henry Cleere has written a useful and valuable guidebook.

I like the fact that you get an annotated bibliography. Sometimes this is much better than a long list of titles with no comments. Henry Cleere refers to maps and guidebooks from the French company Michelin. The so-called "Green" series for separate regions of France is available in several languages: French, German and English.

In addititon, he refers to the excellent series "Guides archéologiques de la France," published by the French Ministry of Culture and often written by the archaeologist who was in charge of the excavations in question.

He does not mention that most volumes in the series are sold out, but I know from personal experience that some copies are still available at some of the archaeological museums in France.

Even though this is a very good book, it is - in my opinion - too compact. With 211 pages it is considerably shorter than other volumes in the same series. The volume about Spain has 328 pages, the volume about Rome has 464 pages, and the volume about England has no less than 493 pages. Why did Henry Cleere not write another 50 or 100 pages? Is it because he did not want to? Or because he was not allowed to?

Sometimes his text is so compressed that he fails to provide the hard facts. Let me mention two examples:

* On pages 86-87 he writes about Maison Carrée in Nîmes, but he fails to give us the dimensions of this building. It is 15 meters wide, 26 meters long and 17 meters high. He also fails to give us the text of the Latin inscription that was once placed above the entrance. This text tells us that this building was a temple built in honour of Gajus and Lucius, adoptive sons of Augustus, who both died before him.

* On page 162 he writes about the monumental arch in Les Antiques near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, but again he fails to give us the dimensions of this building. It is 15.5 meters wide, 5.5 meters deep and 8.6 meters high. He does not mention or comment on the reliefs on the front or the back of this arch.

I have found only two mistakes in this book, both of them are in the list of museums (pages 197-200). Regarding Arles he mentions two museums, one of them is Musée d'Art Chrétien in Rue Balze. But this museum is closed and has been for quite some time. Today it serves as the entrance to the subterranean gallery that was built under the town's forum.

On the other hand he fails to mention the new archaeological museum: Musée de l'Arles Antique, located in the western part of town, next to the Roman circus. This museum includes several collections that used to be in different museums in the town. Now they are all united under one roof. This beautiful museum, the pride of the town, opened in 1995. Why is it not listed in a book that was published in 2001? On this point, it seems, Henry Cleere is not quite up to date!

However, my overall impression is good. Accordingly, I can finish with a positive recommendation: this book is definitely worth reading before, during and after a trip to southern France.