local history and how to find out about it

[Fil]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can give any advice.  My husband and I are fascinated by history, but can we find out any local information?  No way!  It is as though France did not exist before the revolution.  Okay, there are museums etc, but all round where we live there are interesting little mentions on maps - ancien fort romaine, fortifications romaines, etc.  But we can't find out a thing about them!  Added to this, when looked at, they don't always even look Roman at all!  There are some round forts supposedly roman, and a huge line of double banks with ditches (and I mean huge) with a gap between them wide enough to drive a car down. Locals call this the Voie Cesar, but I am sure it is not a road.  We think we have found one of them at a friend's house!  While my husband was helping her husband put in some fence posts they found what mine thinks is the stone work of the road.  But nothing on maps.

Anyone got any advice at all?  Where to look?  I have searched the net.  What books to get?  Where to get them even?  Anyone with any knowledge in fact?

Thanks,

Fil (and Patrick)

[chris pp]

Where in France are you Fil?

Chris

[Tony F Dordogne]

Would be useful to know where you are .........

But, having said that, there are a couple of immediate suggestions.  Most Departements have Archeological Societies of some form or another, membership groups which anybody can join.  They usually publish quarterly or annual cahiers and many of them specialise in the pre history and Roman/classical eras, can usually get information from the AD (next bit).

You could also try the Archives Departementale (AD) for your Department, to see (a) whether they have anything there (usually secondary sources) and (b) whether they have an Archeologist attached to them or to the Departement who may be able to help you.

Also worth bearing in mind that the round forts may be Roman period but not necessarily Roman, may be tribal settlements or something similar.  There are loads of UK web sites that deal with this period and its architecture - before my research period (by a thousand years or so) so can't recommend anything - may be worth trying the Time Team web site at channel 4, there may be something there.

And there is masses of material pre-1789, post Roman, just knowing where to look for it that's the key ...........

[Patf]

The newspaper shop that we use has a large stock of books on local history. Also try the local library - under bibliotheques in the pages jaunes. Pat.

[Unknown]

Our local Super U sells books on local history.  And when I went skiing in the Pyrenees the last town before the drive up to Monseigneur had dvds as well as books all about it.  Fabulous.

[Jonzjob]

Then again Dott there is a tremendous amount of history around here and loads of books about it too. Big business! We love it and although I was never one for history I love this because we live with it...

[Bob T]

I am also an amature historian, but love the Roman period. Living in this part of the Dordogne is not easy as the river Vezere is 5 miles away and that is covered in prehistorical sites. The French seem to promote these and forget the more modern Roman times.

Having said that Perigueux has a fantastic Roman museum, called Versunna, the Roman name for the town, and it is well worth a visit. After my last visit I wandered in the direction of where I thought the ampitheater should be and sure enough I found the remains in a park, with no reference to what it was.