Seated right next to the Heracles road filled with myth and mystery, The Oppidum d’Entremont is an astounding archeological site filled with rich history and culture. The site is located on a plateau, overlooking a 200 meter wide valley below, the Durance Valley, which was an important trade route connecting Marseilles to the Alps and Italy.  It is surrounded by small mountains, saltwater ponds, and interconnected with many valleys filled with gorgeous trees such as the beautiful Aleppo pines and evergreen oaks. In fact, the name origin of d’Entremont means “between the mountains”, which is exactly where Oppidum d’Entremont is located. Included also were various hot springs, with archeological findings of Italian amphorae and other objects, which archeologists used as evidence for C. Sextus Calvinus’ creation of the famous Aix De Provence in 122 B.C. 

The people who lived here are called “Ligures”, a tribe of people from Northern Italy. However, in the fifth century B.C, tribes of Celtic peoples began mingling with the Ligures, creating a Celto-Lingurian culture. They had an advantage over local tribes, with iron weapons instead of bronze, allowing them to protect their settlement quite easily from any barbarian invasions. Strabo, an ancient greek historian states:

“And indeed, they were so strong at land and in sea that it was impassable for foreign troops”. 

In a Pseudo-Aristotle text referencing the road akin to Oppidum d’Entremont, it is stated:

 “ They say that there is a route, called Heraclean, from Italy to the Celtic, to the country of the Celto-Ligyans and to that of the Iberians, on which any Greek or native traveler is under the protection of local residents so that he does not suffer any damage.”

They had a strong sense of spirituality, and worshiped nature – creating sacred woods at Saint-Baume. These sacred woods were also where the saint Mary Magdalene would spend the rest of her earthly years, devoting herself to quiet contemplation and prayer.

The Celto-Lingurians additionally dedicated themselves to the sacred hot springs at Glanum. With the influence of Celtic culture, the people of d’Entremont believed in the “survival of the superior spirit”, a divine energy located within the mind, as well as the belief of reincarnation, including divination practices. The most renowned men in the culture were seen as direct links to the Gods. 

The Celto-Lingurian people, highly advanced in trade along the Rhone river, traded goods such as silver, marble, gold, honey, wax, cheese, and alabaster with the local Etruscans. 

 This rich culture of trade of fine luxury goods allowed many of the people living in the Oppidum d’Entremont to lead very opulent, aristocratic lifestyles. The head reliefs to the left depict fine sculpted portraits of heroic men, adorned with braided crowns, along with many jewels, which indicated a high social status at the time. These warriors would have also worn fine torques, and leather slippers with intricate lacing. Statues would be erected of these men, seated, legs crossed, in a Buddha-like fashion, either holding their rewards of war or a staff representing power.

The oppidum consisted of warriors, farmers, artisans, and men of nobility. The nearby sanctuaries that are found in the ruins are attested to be sites dedicated to the glory of the warriors and noblemen who lived in there. They were highly skilled on horseback, whether it be for agriculture or military purposes, as depicted in this relief with a reconstruction:

Not only the men, but the women who lived here were also respected and had a large amount of authority. Women would accompany the heroes on expeditions, and also give input on military, political, social, and land-owning matters. The most powerful of them would wear sandals, a long veil draping down the back, and a high quality checkered fabric for a dress. 

At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, an area about one hectare in size was created on the summit of the Entremont plateau. The remains today are poorly preserved, however we still have its basic layout. It forms a large parallelogram, aligned by two south and west slopes. Towers were built on the north side, while scarce archeological remains beg the question if there could be more. The foundation was built with clay mortar, including the wall surrounding the community. The plan for the city was advanced, with a basic schema consisting of 24 meter squares. Each house had about 7 rooms,

and a few of them were altered with partitions to either have smaller rooms, or a larger one, depending on the interior design opinion of the person staying there, or by the rank of the person living there. The streets were 3 meters wide, and constructed with diverse materials such as local stones and fragments of dolia and amphorae. This assured that carts could move with ease, and also helped the houses remain stable. These streets were also extensions of the houses, using fireplaces and other recreational items that have been found in archeological discoveries. Doorways were raised so rainwater could not flood the houses, an architectural feat of the time. Complete with roads, and staircases, this settlement was intricately designed and must have been a bustling, busy city filled with trade, agriculture, spiritual practices, and military training.

A few decades after the construction of the first settlement, the people of Oppidum d’Entremont constructed a new wall to protect the east and north areas of the community. The agglomeration increased by about 3.5 hectares in size. In order to increase protection, they isolated the triangular space, where the first settlement was located, and fortified it with a wall 400 meters long. The wall surrounding the city was also incredibly impressive, built with large blocks and being 6-7 meters high. Every 18.5 meters, there was a tower about 8-9 meters high, providing ample views of the land and allowing the military force to prepare for any sort of invasion or attacks. 
Advanced drainage systems were implemented, allowing rainwater to flow through the city and out of the fortifications. The fortified triangle of the old city was reconstructed into a sort of meeting area, and archeologists are certain that it served to highlight symbolic areas of the community, as it was reconstructed into a few collective buildings. Archeologists also speculate that these buildings also could have been ritualistic churches, or areas for some sort of divine worship. Next to this worship building was a portico with an attached second floor, which also could have been a general craft-making area and welcoming area for the city residents.

Within this area, a hypostyle hall was constructed, about 20 meters long and 5 meters wide, with two floors. The street in front of it is more than 8 meters wide, suggesting an importance to this building. They had recycled materials from the old settlement to construct the pillars, and the floors were designed in the opus signinum fashion with finely packed clay. The walls were covered with white limestone, in a checkerboard pattern. Excavations reveal this building to be a grand gallery, or a closed central meeting room, but the most agreed upon usage for this building is a hall for libation rituals, as skulls were hung around the doorway. To the east next to the hypostyle hall, there is an oven building, which could have been used to make clay jars, food, and other items used in daily life. There is also evidence of one of the oldest blacksmithing houses ever found. From the early aristocracy and rise of power, the city was able to make larger roads and bigger houses. The roads were 5.1 meters wide, rather than the previous 3.25 meter roads in the last settlement, and larger islets allowed the building of more spacious rooms. With more spacious houses, that meant more family growth – and more domestic practices within the households rather than protruding onto the streets in the Settlement 1.

None of the houses had courtyards, however the abundant amount of space within them allowed for many activities. Many of these living spaces had wine and oil presses – these were constructed with beams and suspended weights, to crush the olives or the grapes before being pressed. From there, pressing by hand was done, and the oil or wine was trickled down a receptacle into a dolia. The most impressive pantry is found in Islet 3, with six dolia that could hold up to 3000 liters of oil/wine. These houses had multiple levels, and were adorned with flat terraced roofs.

Silos are found within the kitchens, which shows families were able to keep grain for long periods of time, as well as stone benches, which provided an area for relaxation after working. There is only one house that was larger than the rest, in Islet 10, with a complete hallway and intricate rooms, whose excavation has not been completed, however, it suggests a family of significant wealth and status lived there. Silver coins have been found, one with a side profile portrait adorned with laurels, and a few others with a helmeted head and seahorse. 

In the image to the right, highlighted in green, we can see the various areas of worship in Oppidum d’Entremont. These include a votive area with objects dedicated to the Gods, a ritual room for devotional practices, a gallery room including several hundred sculptures, and as previously mentioned, the libation ritual center of the hypostyle hall. The other buildings beside the hypostyle hall were devoted to the memory of ancestors and the presentation of their many relics.

The main religious center was constructed by monolithic stone lintels, similar to the Stonehenge.