Recent archaeological research carried out on the site of Eysses, also known by the ancient name of Excisum, confirms the strategic and prestigious character of this place during the Gallo-Roman period. The latest report from Inrap (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research), published following preventive excavations last June, specifies the presence of imposing thermal baths within the former Roman military camp, the construction of which dates back to the end of the 1st century AD
During these excavations, motivated by the construction of a house and a swimming pool, the Inrap team discovered the remains of Roman buildings, spread over the entire plot. Among them, buildings of earth and wood dating from the 1st century AD, built on stone bases. “These first military structures had functions that were still uncertain, but at least partly artisanal,” notes the report. In-depth analysis of these ancient buildings could shed more light on their initial role.
A structured thermal complex
One of the major finds of this excavation campaign is a complex thermal complex, located to the east of the central camp (the principia). The thermal baths, made up of several rooms, seem to have been the subject of at least two phases of redevelopment, thus revealing the importance given to this space of relaxation and hygiene. At the rear of this complex, excavations uncovered six rooms in a good state of conservation.
The facilities included service rooms in the basement, built against the rear wall of the thermal baths to the northwest of the site. According to Inrap, these rooms “have maintained exceptional levels of functioning”, because they were used as boiler rooms. One of them housed successive boilers while another housed a heating channel, dug directly into the ancient wall.
The arrangement of cold rooms and pools accentuates the originality of these thermal baths. To the east of the complex, a cold room leads to a 12 m² pool with a depth of 1.5 m, accessible by three tiers to the north. To the south, an evacuation system allowed wastewater to be drained into a sewer running alongside the building, a sign of advanced engineering from the Roman era.
A prolonged occupation over the centuries
The remains of the thermal baths and neighboring military buildings tell not only the history of Roman Antiquity, but also that of the successive reoccupations which have marked this place until modern times. Medieval structures, in particular fitted floors and storage silos, demonstrate the reuse of the old thermal baths service rooms. In modern times, a building was constructed on this land, largely with materials salvaged from the Roman baths.
The data collected during this archaeological operation will contribute to a better understanding of life in this ancient camp. Researchers also hope to determine the decorative elements that decorated the baths and identify the populations, “probably soldiers, but possibly also civilians who frequented this space”. As the Inrap report underlines, the remains of Eysses offer inexhaustible potential for discoveries, a precious testimony to the continuity and evolution of human occupation in Aquitaine.
