The origins of the town : the Gaulish period

The end of the Gaulish period, or the century that preceded Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, in 52 BCE, was marked by an intensification of exchanges with the Roman world. The many amphorae found on sites particularly illustrate the trade in wine imported from Italy.

Before the founding of Matisco

Rescue excavations carried out during construction of the A6 motorway, in 1967, brought to light, for the first time, the dynamic economic growth that took place in the Saône Valley, beginning in the second half of the second century BCE.

The settlements found in Varennes-lès-Mâcon and Saint-Symphorien-d’Ancelles show the existence of open villages, focused on agriculture, such as cereal farming and cattle breeding, as well as artisanry, including ceramics.

The founding of Matisco

From the beginning of the first century BCE, settlements that had grown up in the Saône Valley declined as they were eclipsed by a fortified settlement founded on a hill overlooking the river: the oppidum of Matisco. Urban excavations carried out in the 1960s revealed the remains of the rampart, the murus gallicus, which protected the site.

Remains of homes built of mud and wood, within the defensive wall, were also discovered. These discoveries illustrate a section of Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War, where he mentions Mastico and locates it in the territory of the Aedui.

This Gaulish town controlled river traffic on the Saône at the south-west border of the Aedui’s territory; it prefigured the town of antiquity.