Alesia Icaunais (from Yonne)
Alise's adventures in wonderland or the stipes passage |
From Yves de Bermond
( Internet publication August 2006 : http://www.alise-expansive.fr )
« Alesia Icaunais » (from Yonne)
Aren’t legends more deep-rooted as they are more imaginery ? Indeed, they owe their vigour only to themselves and not to the pale reality. Fairy tales dissuade the truth to be itself. Cesar discovered Alesia and after that the French decided that they are coming from there. The problem is Alesia has been digged up everywhere in France with the same partial conviction.
Quarrels are animated and the quality of arguments is so contradictory that it would be daring to add some more. Mentionning some simple material elements will probably not be considered as an indiscreet intrusion in this debate.
The traveller who, like Ruskin discovering Saint Wulfran in Abberville and ignoring that his train would go through this city as he was coming to study Amiens cathedral and was afraid to neglect the unessential for the essential, will find some interest in visiting Avallon museum before the cathedrals of Alesia. Which were swallowed up.
One will see there the pieces of a plaque which were put together after being collected on the ruins of a temple dating from Diocletien, situated on a hill in the countryside, le Montmarte, 6kms North of Avallon whereas this type of building was, allowing for exceptions, situated in cities.
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Inscription antique |
Inscription restituée Victor Petit (Librairie Voillot) |
So it is allowed to think that this temple celebrated a very important event. The plaque bears an inscription : DEO (?) EX STIPIBU CURA IVL or DEO (?) EX STIPIBUS CURA JULII : To God (?) thanks to tree trunks and to Julius’s care .
The vertical and horizontal “stipes or stipites” (tree trunks) down the grawes (pits) were the main defense of the Roman fortifications in Alesia. As to Julius, it’s Cesar’s family name. Calling him so avoids mistaking him for other emperors.
The Montmarte hides Westward a small massif lined by two rivers, La Cure and Le Cousin, corresponding exactly to the description of Alesia given by Cesar.
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Confluent de La Cure et du Cousin ( © IGN - PARIS 2006 - Licence n°2006CUEC0163 - reproduction interdite ) |
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To the North thereis a height, a little outlying, which may correspond to the place where the famous North camp was situated.
This height which overviews the village of Sermizelles is covered with bushes. It is lined on its very steep North slope by the ruins of a double dry stone wall (maceria) separated by a ditch. The North was defended by backfills and a ditch (aggeres neque fossam B G VII-37-5) so was the Gallic oppidum opposite after the work ordered by Vercingetorix at the foot of the walls.
Therefore, the North camp wasn’t defended in the same way as the roman lines in the plain, contrary to what might have been said.
The romans who have razed Carthage can’t have saved Alesia. However on the Beustiau in the North, there are still the ruins of an oppidum which deserves not being forgotten. A study about Alesia exists on the site “Alise expansive” (http://www.alise-expansive.fr) .
