Article
French
ID: <
10670/1.mdn6bk>
Abstract
Fortified hill forts are the only Iron Age architectures that have left an enduring mark on our countryside. They can be conceived as remarkable and majestic sites, as is the case for the Mount Beuvray or the Colline d’Ipf (Ipf Hill). The fortifications can also encompass vast areas, such as the Heidengraben plateau at Grabenstetten, that seem almost impossible to defend. Ramparts with internal structures of wooden beams and vertical faces highlight the high status and the prestige of an urbanised settlement; the massive embankments coupled with large ditches are the response to an effective menace; the naturally fortified refuges are often delimited by sheer rock faces, these features are all put to the test several times during the Gallic Wars. The archaeological data provides a critical reading of Caesar. The famous murus gallicus underlines the symbolic roots of this military architecture.