Archaeologists in Senon (Meuse), France, uncovered ancient coins and a tightly packed network of pits, ditches, and postholes at the base of the excavation. The features belong to Gallic-era wooden buildings with wattle-and-daub walls. Some zones held more than one structure per square meter, confirming a dense settlement that existed long before the Roman conquest.
Initial assessments place the Gallic occupation between La Tène C2/D1 and the start of the Roman period, roughly from the mid-2nd century BC to the turn of the era. Further dating through artifacts and radiocarbon tests will refine the timeline.
Roman expansion drives quarrying and urban growth
Near the end of the 1st century AD, Senon saw rapid urbanization. Builders shifted from earth and wood to stone, increasing demand for local limestone. Archaeologists identified around ten limestone quarries behind former houses, some nearly 10 feet deep.
The quarries were later reused and modified with dry-stone walling, though their exact secondary function remains unknown. Laboratory analyses will clarify whether they served as latrines or storage structures.
Limestone extraction—known locally as producing “tin slab”—remained an important regional industry until the 19th century.
Stone-paved streets and affluent Roman homes
By the late 1st century AD, Senon’s layout took on a planned Roman form. Two paved streets ran through the area, bordered by at least three stone houses. These dwellings featured lime-concrete floors, hypocaust heating, cellars, work zones with ovens, and large courtyards.
Small objects and building quality indicate an affluent population, possibly artisans or merchants. The homes stood beside the city’s public square, where monuments such as temples, baths, and a theater once stood.
Discovery of three hoards with thousands of ancient coins
The most striking find in Senon is the discovery of three coin hoards, each containing several thousand ancient coins dating from the late 3rd to early 4th century AD. One hoard was uncovered during earlier monitoring by the Regional Archaeology Service. The two others emerged during the recent excavation.
All were stored in large ceramic containers—jugs or amphorae—placed in carefully prepared pits inside domestic rooms. The vessels stood perfectly vertical on leveling stones. A few coins stuck to the outside of two containers, showing they were added after placement but before the pits were filled.
Archaeologists say nothing suggests hurried hiding. Instead, the deposits appear to reflect planned, long-term monetary management, with the vessels positioned at floor level for easy access. Their date, ranging between 280 and 310 AD, aligns with a nearby Roman fortification only 150 meters away.
Researchers emphasize that their importance lies not only in the number of coins, but in the exceptional preservation of their depositional context—rarely documented due to looting.
Fires, rebuilding, and final abandonment
A major fire at the start of the 4th century disrupted occupation, but residents rebuilt. They reused stone, tile, and even fragments of public monuments, suggesting temples and other major buildings had already been abandoned.
The reoccupation lasted only about fifty years. A second fire in the mid-4th century ended the settlement permanently. The land later became gardens and orchards until modern development triggered the excavation.
