AOROC

The ‘magnetic signal’ that combines both the induced (Ji) and the remanent (Jr) magnetization is widely used in archaeological and pedological prospecting. Magnetic prospecting recording the lateral variations of the total magnetization is the most frequently used measurement before in-phase magnetic susceptibility (Kph) and magnetic viscosity (Kqu) mapping. The work presented here brings together three types of prospecting technique: magnetic field survey and electromagnetic measurements with both frequency and time domain devices that measure magnetic susceptibility and viscosity respectively. The site studied, the Gallic town of Levroux (Indre, France), is particularly interesting because it includes features such as pits and ditches dug into the calcareous substratum partly filled with topsoil and with residues of different metallurgical and fire activities. The field results indicated anomalies with different types of characterization: (i) many compact features filled with magnetic, electrically conductive and minimally viscous materials; and (ii) elongated anomalies characterized by lower magnetic properties and electric conductivity but relatively higher magnetic viscosity than those of the compact features. In addition to the location of the features, the combination of the information brought by the different types of measurements allows us to evaluate the possible erosion of their upper parts by ploughing, to assess their depth (never deeper than 1.30 m) and to precise the nature of the feature's fill.

The pig predominates the zooarchaeological assemblage of the second Iron Age settlement of Levroux Les Arènes, in a context characterised by intensive craft and trade activities. The pattern of pig mortality profiles (targeting two-year-old animals), standardized butchery cut-marks and the under-occurrence of ham-bearing bones suggest that there was standardized pork production potentially designed for trade. This hypothesis was investigated through enamel δ18O analysis, allowing the seasonality of pig births to be determined and the reasons for a particular age class in the kill-off patterns to be explained. Results reveal that pig births were spread across more than half a year, suggesting that slaughter was not seasonally constrained, but was performed to target a specific age class and weight/size at death, thus supporting the hypothesis of standardized pork production in
Levroux Les Arènes. For the first time, the stable isotope approach – sequential δ18O analysis in pig incisors developed on a modern reference set – has been performed on an archaeological assemblage, aftermethodological adaptation. The results constitute the first zooarchaeological evidence of such a standardization of meat production from the second century onwards in Gaul.

Les vestiges remontant à La Tene D et à l'époque augustéenne atteignent une  ampleur  incomparable  avec les faibles traces des périodes précédentes. Ils se caractérisent par la mise en place d'une voirie, la maitrise de la circulation des eaux, la construction de fortifications, la délimitation d'espaces publics ou religieux qui  structu­rent  un  habitat  étendu  sur une  surface considérable.