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A great amount of different types of weapons has been found in the archaeological site of Le Cailar (Gard, France). This proto-historic settlement is located in the lower Rhône valley and was founded in the middle, or maybe at the beginnings, of the 6th century BC. Le Cailar was an important port of trade dealing with different Mediterranean products, mainly wine and pottery. The relation with the Phocean city of Massalia was certainly strong. During the 3rd century BC, a vast sacred area was created along the city walls. In this space, numerous weapons, other metallic objects and fragments of human skull bones (cut-off heads), but also coins and fragments of animal bones and pottery have been found. These elements shed light on ritual practices related to war during the 3rd century BC.Un gran número de distintos tipos de armas ha sido hallado en el yacimiento arqueológico de Le Cailar (Gard, Francia). Este asentamiento protohistórico está ubicado en el valle bajo del Ródano y fue fundado a mediados, o quizás a inicios, del siglo VI a.C. Le Cailar fue un importante puerto de comercio donde están atestiguadas distintas producciones mediterráneas, en especial vino y cerámica. La relación con la ciudad focense de Massalia fue seguramente intensa. Durante el siglo III a.C., un vasto espacio sagrado fue creado a lo largo de las murallas. En este espacio han sido halladas numerosas armas, otros objetos metálicos y fragmentos de calaveras humanas (cabezas cortadas), así como monedas y fragmentos de huesos animales y de cerámica. Estos elementos arrojan luz sobre las prácticas rituales relacionadas con la guerra durante el siglo III a.C. [fr] Différents types d’armes ont été retrouvés en grand nombre sur le site du Cailar (Gard, France). Cet établissement protohistorique est situé dans la basse vallée du Rhône et fut fondé au milieu, ou peut-être au début, du VIe s. a.C. Le Cailar fut un important port de commerce où sont attestés différentes productions d’origine méditerranéennes, comme le vin et la céramique. Les relations avec la cité phocéenne de Massalia furent probablement importantes. Au cours du IIIe s. a.C., une vaste aire sacrée fut créée le long des murailles. A l’intérieur de cet espace ont été retrouvés des armes et divers objets métalliques, ainsi que des fragments de crânes humains (têtes coupées), des monnaies et des fragments de céramiques et d’os animaux. Ces éléments permettent d’éclairer les pratiques rituelles liées à la guerre au IIIe s. a.C.

Entre 2005 et 2017, six puits ont été fouillés sur l’oppidum de Châteaumeillant (Cher). L’un d’entre eux (St 269) a livré un ensemble de bronzes exceptionnels du iiie s. apr. J.-C. (Krausz, Coulon 2015). En 2016, une grande cave quadrangulaire a été mise au jour (St 437), elle contenait les restes de 33 amphores italiques. Cette découverte s’inscrit dans la série des « caves à amphores » qui ont rendu l’oppidum de Mediolanum célèbre dans les années 1960. À l’intérieur de cette cave se trouvait un puits (St 512), dont la fouille sécurisée a livré un lot de mobilier singulier datable de La Tène finale. En marge des quelque 1 500 tessons de céramique, et au fond du conduit, une statue de pierre anthropomorphe, un crâne humain avec des traces de décarnisation ainsi qu’un chenet à protomé de cheval ont été recueillis. La présence de ces objets remarquables évoque un dépôt particulier, dont l’étude révèle la nature rituelle dans le contexte de l’habitat laténien. Les deux structures forment un ensemble archéologique exceptionnel et complexe, inédit dans un site de cette période. Cet article collectif présente leur étude détaillée, celle des objets découverts et la chronologie de l’ensemble. The oppidum of Châteaumeillant (Cher) belongs to the civitas of the Bituriges, whose boundaries correspond approximately to those of the current departments of Cher, Indre, and to which portions of Allier and Loir-et-Cher must be added. Located about 60 km from Bourges/Avaricum (Cher), the capital of this territory, the Mediolanum of the Tabula Peutingeriana occupies a privileged position at the southern end of Berry, the oppidum having been installed on the highest part of a rectangular promontory measuring 60 ha. Discovered in the 19th c. by Émile Chénon, the oppidum of Châteaumeillant was the subject of major archaeological excavations in the 1950s and 1960s under the direction of Émile Hugoniot and Jacques Gourvest. From 2001 to 2018, subsequent excavations focused on the Gallic habitat, as well as on the imposing fortification. The excavations revealed a dense and continuous occupation that began around 200 BC, through the La Tène C2 period. As early as La Tène D1, around 150 BC, shipments of Italian amphorae poured into Châteaumeillant. Then, around 100 BC, the town was equipped with a murus gallicus enclosing the 27 ha of the southern half of the promontory. The site subsequently peaked in terms of growth, though the rate of Italian wine imports remained steady. During the Gallic War, the murus gallicus was reinforced by a massive rampart preceded by a 45 m wide flat-bottomed ditch (Krausz 2007a; 2014; 2019; 2021; Krausz, Millereux 2019). Traces of fire observed in the La Tène D2 habitat suggest that Châteaumeillant is likely one of the twenty Bituriges towns to have been burnt down at the behest of Vercingetorix (Krausz 2009a). The town was rebuilt in the Augustan period and the occupation of the promontory continued through to the present day, without interruption. In the areas explored between 2008 and 2018 (A to G), several buildings, constructed on posts, were excavated. Some of them were built overtop large quadrangular pits that would have served as cellars. The archaeological material discovered in this zone argues in favour of areas B and C having served a craftworking and commercial function, rather than as exclusively residential areas. The presence of cellars and large pits, which would have been used to store foodstuffs that might be used for trading would appear to corroborate this interpretation of function. It is in this part of the oppidum that the renowned “amphorae cellars” were discovered in the 19th c. It was only possible to explore one such cellar during the recent excavations (2012 to 2016) and it is therefore the object of study of this article. The cellar contained the remains of 33 Italic amphorae. During a second phase of use, a well (St 512) was dug in the eastern half of this cellar. Its protected excavation yielded an exceptional assemblage, dated to the final La Tène period: in addition to some 1,500 ceramic sherds, an anthropomorphic stone statue, a human skull with traces of de-fleshing and an andiron protome of a horse were deposited at the bottom of the well. The body of the andiron is complete and well preserved, decorated with a combination of white paint and engravings. The object measures 0.39 m in height, from the hoof to the top of the horse’s head. An anthropomorphic statue and a human skull were discovered in the layer above. The statue was lying face down, 10 cm from the human skull. This sculpture represents a male figure, whose head and right hand were preserved; the hand is holding a ring to the centre of the chest. Below this ring, the statue was previously and intentionally broken. Following this damage, the upper portion of the statue (head and torso) was deposited in the well, while the base was found in a small pit in Zone B, located 8 m north of the well. It is sculpted in the round, in a particularly fine Châteaumeillant sandstone, finer than that of the statue from well F.II of the Kasmareck Garden discovered within the oppidum in 1960. Both are, undoubtedly, Celtic busts. In addition to this type of bust, another category of statues are seated figures, recognizable by virtue of their crossed legs (Coulon, Krausz 2013). Sitting busts present one or both hands resting on the chest and often wear a torque around the neck. In the statue’s current state, and with the upper part combined with the lower part, it measures 0.50 m in total height. Overall, the width varies little: from the head (10 cm), through the torque and the shoulders (12 cm) to the lower portion (15 cm). Thus, there is a variation of 5 cm from top to bottom, resulting in a small but constant broadening. This slight variation confirms that the statue is part of a rectangular block that widens slightly towards the bottom. Below the right hand holding the ring, the lower block presents no further figural representation. However, it has been carved in such a way as to provide an end that was likely tapered or pointed, a feature that could have allowed the sculpture to be driven into the ground. As with other Gallic bust statues, certain anatomical and ornamental features are highlighted: the facial features, the hairstyle and the ears, the torque around the neck and the representation of the right arm and hand. As for the human skull, it was deposited in the pit without its mandible or any other accompanying skeletal element. Only the molars and premolars remain from the upper dentition, while the other teeth were lost post-mortem, though not within the well. The skull belonged to a young adult, whose age was estimated between 17 and 25 years of age. The sex is undetermined, but most likely male. Several incisions visible on the calvaria (or skullcap), as well as on the zygomatic processes of the temporal bones suggest that it was de-fleshed, removing the scalp, and detaching the mandible and atlas. The polished appearance of the frontal bone, along with a small eroded area in the centre could be the result of exposure to touching or weathering, at least in this anterior portion. Similarly, the cracking and darkening of the tooth enamel could be the result of being placed in an open-air setting. The loss of the canines and incisors is further indication of the possibility that the skull was exposed, possibly showcased in an elevated manner. The Gauls’ marked interest in heads is known from ancient times, and the practice of removing skulls and subjecting them to a particular treatment, separate from the rest of the skeleton is attested to in Gaul from the 5th to the 1st c. BC. The presence of these remarkable objects in well 512 reveals the unique and ritualistic nature of the deposit, in the context of the La Tène habitat. It combines the representation of a male figure set in stone with a severed head. Well 512 and cellar 437 constitute an exceptional archaeological ensemble, unprecedented in a La Tène period habitat. Indeed, it concentrates numerous cultural and social characteristics of the La Tène D period: statuary, a ritual deposit, wells and an amphora cellar. This collaborative article proposes a detailed study of the two structures, the objects discovered therein and their chronology.