They were building houses and found a civilization: excavations in France

In the French town of Tonnerre, during site preparation for a residential building, archaeologists from Inrap discovered traces of a large ancient settlement that existed for 1,500 years—from the Gallic Iron Age to the Middle Ages. The find includes a Gallic oppidum from the 1st century BCE, Roman quarters with craft workshops, and a medieval structure with a preserved stone staircase.

In the French town of Tonnerre (southeast of Paris), during site preparation for a new residential building on Montbellan hill, archaeologists from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) made a major discovery. Scientists found traces of a large ancient settlement that developed and was rebuilt over 1,500 years, spanning several historical eras—from the Gallic Iron Age to the Middle Ages. The excavations, complementing last year's finds 50 meters from the current site, showed that the steep hillside was densely built up and carefully planned. Analysis of artifacts, including ancient coins and pottery, confirms that an organized community existed here as early as the 1st century BCE, when the Gauls used the site as a fortified oppidum. After the Roman conquest, the area underwent a large-scale transformation—the Romans built new structures directly on the Gallic ruins. Discovered remains of walls with inner courtyards and traces of metallurgical slag prove that craft and metalworking workshops were actively operating here in antiquity. Among the most impressive objects are a large medieval structure with a basement where a stone staircase has been preserved, crossing earlier pits, and a Roman room with a vaulted entrance: collapsed wedge-shaped arch stones retained elements of iron fasteners from an ancient wooden door. Further work will allow a more detailed study of the layout of the lost city.