Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkably well-preserved Iron Age rural settlement in central France, complete with a rare limestone statue, a ritualistically damaged sword and evidence of specialised horse butchery, offering fresh insight into life in Gaul more than 2,000 years ago.
The discovery was made during a preventive excavation at Le Désert in the commune of Mettray, north of Tours in the Indre-et-Loire department.
Covering 3.5 hectares, the site has been described by the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) as one of the richest archaeological sites of its kind in the region. Although the principal discovery dates to the Late Iron Age, archaeologists found evidence that the site had been visited repeatedly over thousands of years.
Stone tools attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic indicate human activity dating back tens of thousands of years, while scattered remains also point to occupation during the Neolithic period, the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age.
The most significant remains, however, belong to the La Tène D1 period (150–80 BC), shortly before the Roman conquest of Gaul.
A planned Iron Age farmstead
Excavations revealed a rectangular residential enclosure covering around 1.2 hectares, enclosed by three substantial ditches. A broad internal ditch divided the settlement into two distinct areas connected by a central crossing point, suggesting careful planning of domestic, agricultural and craft activities.
Researchers identified two separate phases of occupation through analysis of the ditch deposits. Outside the main enclosure, an extensive network of field boundaries and drainage features helped manage water and organise agricultural production.
Within the eastern courtyard, archaeologists uncovered a four-post structure and a formal entrance marked by two large postholes. The western section contained four buildings, two of which had been modified during the settlement’s occupation.
Rare discoveries hint at ritual practices
Among the most remarkable finds were a carved limestone statue and an iron sword still enclosed within its scabbard.
The 49-centimetre-high limestone figure, weighing more than 18 kilograms, was recovered from the southern enclosure ditch. Despite centuries of weathering, facial features including the eyes, nose, mouth and traces of hair remain visible.
Its deliberate placement in the ditch appears to coincide with a transition between the settlement’s two occupation phases, leading archaeologists to believe it may have formed part of a symbolic or ritual act rather than ordinary refuse disposal.
The discovery gains further significance from fragments of a human skull found approximately 90 metres away in the same ditch and within the same archaeological layer, suggesting another possible ceremonial deposition.
The iron sword and its scabbard were recovered near the central crossing within the enclosure. Archaeologists determined that the weapon had been intentionally bent and damaged before being discarded, rendering it unusable.
Such deliberate destruction is widely recognised as a ritual practice in Iron Age Europe and may have marked the formal abandonment of the settlement.
Evidence of everyday life
The excavation also provides a detailed picture of daily life within the farming community. Recovered artefacts indicate a largely self-sufficient settlement where residents produced iron, milled grain, wove textiles, prepared food and processed animal products. Changes in the archaeological evidence suggest these activities evolved over the settlement’s lifetime.
Animal remains revealed an unusual emphasis on horse butchery during the earliest phase of occupation, a feature rarely seen at comparable rural settlements and one that distinguishes the Mettray site from others of the period.
Expanding understanding of Iron Age Gaul
Researchers say the discovery significantly enhances understanding of rural life on the plateau north of Tours during the Late Iron Age.
While the settlement’s layout reflects a typical Gaulish farming community, the combination of specialised horse exploitation, ritual deposits and exceptional artefacts—including the limestone statue and ceremonial sword—makes the site one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the region in recent years.
Sources : Inrap
