SITE-MUSÉE GALLO-ROMAIN VESUNNA

Vesunna, the ancient Périgueux, is the best known Gallo-Roman city in Aquitaine. Located in the heart of the ancient city, on the remains of a residence occupied from the 1st to the 3rd century, this site-museum sheds light on the Roman origins of Périgueux. Discovered in 2003, the site was the subject of several excavation campaigns until 2000. At the time of its discovery, it was in a good state of preservation: the walls are still standing on a height of 1 m and some of them are still decorated with their frescos. It is a living, fragile place, which evolves and requires assiduous maintenance because of its age and its location on an old well. Every year, the museum brings in restorers to monitor the condition of the site and ensure the preservation of the archaeological pieces. Very quickly, after the discovery of the site, the idea of creating a museum to preserve the archaeological site was born. It is from this necessity that this unique place in France was born, with the construction of a building whose glass and steel architecture is signed by Jean Nouvel. It offers a view of the imposing Tour de Vesone, the remains of an ancient temple of the goddess Vesunna, which stands in the park. The contrast between the archaeological site and the building designed by Jean Nouvel opens up an interesting dialogue and makes this site a very special object. In designing his building, the star architect had to respond to two major constraints: to preserve the site, classified as a historic monument, while at the same time revealing it to visitors. And the challenge was more than successful.

The other specificity of the place is that it is both an archaeological site and a museum collection. The museum is indeed organized around two architectural spaces designed as mezzanines overlooking the remains of the domus, the centerpiece of the museum, which covers an area of nearly 700 m² on the ground. All around, two balconies present a complete exhibition on the ancient city and highlight sculptures, architectural blocks and funerary steles. An exhibition that acts as a giant showcase to complete the discovery of the site.

The domus, witness to the extent of the remains of the city, is the essential element of the site and is relatively well preserved. Everything is organized around it, the heart of the house, the peristyle garden and the rooms. The whole is protected by the metal umbrella designed by Jean Nouvel, carried by 14 pillars at a height of 9 meters with minimal impact on the ground. The view of the archaeological site is spectacular, the discovery of the whole on the ground, from wooden footbridges, brings you closer to the site to observe plaster painted in situ and wall frescoes, but also ceramics, jewelry, etc. through 50 showcases devoted to daily life. The domus, heated by hypocaust, was organized with kitchen, reception rooms and baths around a central garden. Objects of daily life testify to the wealth of the owners. The size of the domus, very large for an urban dwelling of this period, already gave an excellent idea of the social status of its occupants. The other part of the exhibition, installed on the mezzanines of the second floor, is devoted to public life in the city. We learn more about the organization of cities at that time, the functioning of trade, the relationship between the inhabitants and their dead, etc.

Among the vestiges to discover is a mosaic characteristic of what was discovered in the region of Perigueux on sites dating from the Gallo-Roman period. The mosaic is composed of a border made of scrolls, decorated with motifs related to plants and animals and, in its heart, a central carpet with geometric shapes, all in a remarkable state of preservation. Another vestige whose discovery allowed us to learn more about the Gallo-Roman period: the statuette of Jupiter, Roman god of the sky, whose one of the attributes is lightning. The left hand of the figure seems to be resting on what remains of a wheel, an object that was not part of Jupiter's attributes. On the other hand, the wheel is one of the elements associated with Taranis, the god of the sky, lightning and thunder in Celtic Gallic mythology. For researchers, this statue is a true symbol of the Romanization of Gaul.

The museum has a document for the visually impaired and blind. Sheets present in relief the monuments of the city, the vestiges, the objects, etc. A text in large letters and Braille indicates the name of the images. The store offers a small Vesunna guide , a visit guide, in an interactive version. It follows the direction of the visit which is done by theme, integrates images extracted from the film La domus et son décor. It allows access, through QR codes, to certain areas of the audio guide, animations and the film.

Vesunna offers a treasure hunt to discover the Gallo-Roman city... Clues to find and riddles to solve to find a treasure during an original walk of a few kilometers in the Gallo-Roman city and the district of the City on the principle of "geocaching". Download the free "Tèrra Aventura" application (on the Android Play store or the iOS App store) or visit the terra-aventura.fr website