Situated on the Agrippan Way (Lyon – Saintes), Cassinomagus was, in Roman times, important enough to be mentioned on the medieval Peutinger map as one of the two secondary towns between Limoges and Saintes (probably 80 miles apart). The remains of this Gallo-Roman town lay on about 300 hectares and include a sanctuary of about 25 hectares. This sanctuary consisted of several monuments: a big temple, two small ones, a theatre (amphitheatre?), and thermal baths. The baths, which are very well preserved, can be visited. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chassenon
The well-signposted route des Lemovices - a road used by the Romans to carry wine and salt from the Atlantic coast as far as Rome - is an ideal thread to follow, if you want to discover the region's past. Cutting across countryside dotted with the stony tussocks of crumbled bridges, this ancient highway was an important economic axis during the second Century. How are the mighty fallen! These days, the well preserved theatre and Roman baths at Chassenon are all that remain of the large and prosperous Empire, which once lorded it over this area.
The Thermes de Chassenon is the site of Gallo-Roman remains including a forum, theatre and thermal baths. Many mosaics have been excavated and preserved and the site is thought to have been both a religious and curative centre. It was only discovered in 1958.
These are photos that I took in 2007, and a few more in 2009. D and D said that there are still more and more new areas being opened up, and the site gets bigger by the day. I was of course painting gates, so missed the visit this year but I must return within the next couple of years and update the 'photo album'.
The site staff offer multi-lingual guided tours and Cassinomagus is open all year. The French government, to their great credit, are putting a lot of effort (and Euro, presumably!) into these wonderfully preserved remains and it is well worth a visit. There are still massive archaeological investigations going on and in my opinion as a native of Bath, the famous Roman spa town in England, this is, in its own way, every bit as good.
Very interesting. You got a lot of good photos! That;s nice the put such an effort to prserve it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The green flash is the last spark or flash of light of the sun as it slips beneath the water at sunset. The conditions have to be just right for it. I think it only happens over water.
These sites really intrigue us on our travels - to be standing where there was ancient Roman civilisations is a thrill.
ReplyDeleteBuy as Monty Python once said, "what have the Romans done for us?"
Leon
Love the stone work. I saw my first, and only, Roman ruins in Frankfurt. Interesting post. Too bad you had to stay home and paint the gate.
ReplyDeleteAnd some people think I live in heaven. Oh no, you do! I am so envious! Thanks for finding me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful place to visit - of course we don't have anything like it here in Africa !
ReplyDeleteWow, it must be so eerie walking amongst these ancient ruins, wondering about the builders and the people who lived there - thanks for the tour ...
ReplyDeleteLyndsey it is an interesting site. Thanks for explaining the green flash. Not much water around here so I will have to wait until we are near the sea! Diane
ReplyDeleteYea you are right Leon, what have the Romans done for us. Left us with a lot of interesting remains and some history. These old sites are very interesting though. Diane
ReplyDeleteGaelyn I was also sorry that I was painting and could not go. I will be back there soon though and see what else is 'new'. Diane
ReplyDeleteAll our fingers in the Pie, this is certainly like my little heaven to me:-) Thanks for the visit. Diane
ReplyDeleteLynda it is a wonderful place to visit and it just steeped in history. You are right, no places like that in Africa but you have interesting places like the Zimbabwe ruins. It would be nice to find out more answers there. Diane
ReplyDeleteGraham it is not that eerie but incredibly interesting to see how they lived in those bygone days. These ruins were only discovered in 1958 so the amount of work that has been done is massive. Watching the students who have done a lot of the work, under supervision, slowly scratching away the soil with a small trowel and then you realise how slow the work is. Diane
ReplyDeleteWonderful place! Great post, Diane.
ReplyDeleteThanks JM. It is well worth visiting. Diane
ReplyDeleteIt all looks so well preserved and, if we're ever up that way, we'd certainly like to visit.
ReplyDeleteJan it is certainly worth viewing if you come this way. It is quite exceptional. It is not far from us so perhaps you could combine a visit? Diane
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Diane, somewhere else to add to our ever growing list of places we would like to visit.
ReplyDeleteThat the Romans figured out how to make and use cement and concrete well enough that their structures still stand today is astonishing, isn't it? Sorry you missed this trip, but getting the gate finished before bad weather sets in was of the utmost importance!
ReplyDeleteLindy it would be good if you came to France to see Chassenon, also a chance for you to come and visit us! Diane
ReplyDeleteMarjie as an engineer you would really appreciate this place. The complex drainage etc running through the buildings is more that amazing. As you say the fact that the buildings are still standing in such good condition, despite being buried for 100's of years, is a wonder on its own. Diane
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure Sonia. Diane
ReplyDeleteWell you never know Diane! I suppose you are now getting ready for your imminent return to the Uk for the winter.
ReplyDeleteFrom a Latin course I took a couple of years back we learned that there are numberous Roman sites throughout Europe. Many of which are in use as theaters today. I was surprised at the number, and as your post points out, they are still being escavated. Love this connection to history.
ReplyDeleteLindy, please don't remind me!!!! :-( Diane
ReplyDeleteMya the Romans were a very interesting people and some of their buildings are exceptional. Diane
ReplyDeleteWow. It's amazing that they are still standing and in such great condition. Thanks for sharing these cool photos.
ReplyDeleteNice! I'm so interested to visit this place! Have a great week1
ReplyDeletePam it is hard to believe that they are in such fantastic condition after being buried for so many years. Diane
ReplyDeleteLani if you are over this way they are certainly worth visiting. Diane
ReplyDeleteSorry Diane, at least you will be able to listen to my Sunday Songs over the winter.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Lindy, or I hope so. Nigel is have trouble in the UK with the main computer so I hope I can get it sorted out when I am there! Diane
ReplyDeleteThe Roman daily life was very interesting!
ReplyDeleteWe also have ruins close by, the remains of largest gallo-roman villa in France, and they new how to recreate artificially seawater to keep oysters!
quite incredible!
Thanks for the tour, I notice the great restoration job done in Chassenon!
Have a lovely day!
Cheers, Diane!
Noushka
Hi Noushka. Wish I could create sea water to keep oysters, I would take a car load back to the UK where they are too expensive to eat!! Have a good week. Diane
ReplyDeleteI have always been very interested in archeology. There are just so many spots all over the world that I would love to be able to visit to see things like this.
ReplyDeleteFirefly this is one of the most interesting sites I have seen. The fact that it is getting bigger by the day makes return visits interesting as well. It is not just a one off. Diane
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