Location
The Gallo Roman site is located in Horbourg-Wihr, a French village in the region of Alsace. This is a strategic location, between France and Germany.
Brief History of
Alsace from the begining to the 5th Century
Alsace has a long history marked by many invasions and wars.
The Paleolithic and Neolithic Alsace presents no real original character. Nevertheless, about 10,000 BC, appeared the first evidences of an agricultural activity. The Neolithic searches reveal sepultures, potteries, and dwellings built in bricks in torchis, ancestors of the Alsatian houses.
In 58 B.C., the legions of Julius Caesar beat the
German
chief Ariovistus. Important changes
marked the Roman period: appearance of the first cities, very
progressive
broadcasting of Christianity, and introduction of the viticulture. In the third century the pressure of
"barbaric" peoples became more important. The
Alamannis incursions multiply in 235,
245, 260, 356, 378... The Roman
defensive system collapsed in 406. The
Alamannis installed themselves definitively in the country and imposed
their
language (origin of the Alsatian dialect) and their authority. In the North of the forest of Haguenau the
Alamannis were at the contact of the Franks.
The clash between the two Germanic peoples was inevitable. Clovis beat the Alamannis and Alsace is
incorporated
to the Frank Kingdom. (Putnam, 1971: 5-21).