No need to draw your trowels, brushes, gloves and other tasuki tricks (def.: Japanese scraper), only your legs, your eyes and your curiosity will be needed to visit the two archaeological sites of the Balcons du Dauphiné! Unless the desire to help the History and Archeology Association (AHA) of Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas is too itchy… Because yes, the excavations continue day by day.

Visits and fun activities are organized regularly by the Archaeological Museum of Hières-sur-Amby and the AHA of Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas, satisfaction guaranteed! But first, a little mouse scroll for a more detailed presentation:

The archaeological site of Larina, in Hières-sur-Amby

Didier Jungers

Accessible all year round

The archaeological site of Larina is accessible from the footpath laid out from the Museum (village). A car park also allows you to park on the Larina plateau, at the entrance to the site…

Description

Occupied since prehistoric times (Gallic oppidum, religious deposit of the Chuire), the archaeological site of Larina, at the top of the cliffs overlooking the plain, presents the restored remains of a vast rural estate from the end of Antiquity and the period Merovingian. Farm buildings, habitats, chapel and necropolis are the subject of an interpretation trail, the result of fifteen years of excavations.

Practical

  • Parking
  • Private parking lot
  • Coach parking
  • Picnic area.
  • Pet Friendly
  • Educational visits
  • Theme visit
  • Free visits
  • Guided tours

The archaeological site of Vernai, in Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas

Sebastien Manent

Accessible all year round

The site is open to the public 365 days a year! A car park is provided for easy parking. Visits and activities are regularly organized, especially during the National Archeology Days (June) and the European Heritage Days (September)...

Description

Located in the Rhone Valley, about thirty kilometers east of Lyon, in the commune of Saint-Romain-de-Jalionas, the Vernai site, away from the village, preserves the remains of a vast Gallo-Roman villa where part of the thermal baths, a hydraulic mill, a granary and the residence of the estate manager have been restored.
Stretching along the edge of a very anciently exploited marsh, a first villa erected around 40 BC, already displayed a model imported from Rome. This establishment will be transformed from the beginning of the Christian era into a real palace extending over 13 hectares.
After a phase of prosperity covering the entire Roman era, the villa disappeared in the XNUMXth century to make way for another farm associated with a chapel at the origin of the current church.
The last occupation dates from the 100th century with the construction of a dolphin castle which will be destroyed at the end of the XNUMX years war.

In 2018, the project to create an experimental Gallo-Roman garden gives the opportunity to implement known and supposed ancient horticultural practices on the archaeological site of Vernai. The ancient garden is an element of both the past and the future; in this sense it is a way of learning to weave a link between our modern life and a civilization that has disappeared. It makes it possible to make known ancestral practices sometimes still used or rediscovered of which we are the heirs. This garden will be an opportunity to experience the advice of Latin agronomists and put it into practice. It will make it possible to better apprehend and understand the use that men had of plants, their symbolic, magical character, their medicinal and food virtues.
The garden is designed according to three major axes:
- Knowledge of ancient horticultural uses and practices
– Environmental protection by encouraging biodiversity and safeguarding ancient plant species
– The creation of a place of exchange and sharing for all ages.
The garden remains a modern creation, but its design is based on ancient iconographic texts as well as on archaeo-botanical studies.
Experimental archeology occupies a predominant place in the life of this garden. It will lead to the development of this space through a regular analysis of the choice of practices and plantations.

Practical

  • Parking
  • Parking nearby
  • Coach parking

Was this content useful to you?