RAURANUM MUSEUM

Housed in the former presbytery, this museum presents the site of the ancient city of Rauranum. Rauranum is the ancient name of Rom, when the city was still a Gallo-Roman settlement. At the time, it covered an area of around 40 hectares to the south of today's village. The location - important at the time - was chosen because it was at the crossroads of Roman roads, the most important of which was the imperial road linking Poitiers to Saintes. Mainly occupied from the ^1st to the^5th century AD, the settlement then moved northwards, settling in the early Middle Ages on the site of today's village.

The remains were discovered as early as 1840, but it was only at the end of the century that official excavation campaigns were launched. By 1995-1996, they had uncovered a first artisanal urban core covering the entire Roman period. Temples, baths, villas and three craft workshops (with ovens, forges, etc.), stores, stables and a host of artifacts were discovered or identified.

Thanks to a didactic, active and entertaining museography, everyone can both admire and better understand this fabulous heritage. With explanatory drawings featuring the objects on display, comic strips, Roman games and an excavation workshop on a reconstructed building site, you'll be in for a real treat!

Each year, the museum chooses a theme around which to build its (dynamic and fun) program of events. At the time of writing, the 2024 program will focus on Olympism, in response to the year of the Paris Olympics (follow the museum's Facebook page!). Period days are also planned every two years (2025). Volunteers bring certain scenes to life, with a parade of soldiers through the streets of Rom, slave sales and the recruitment of future legionnaires.

During the Fête de la Science, held on the first weekend in October, numerous workshops are also on offer, enabling young and old alike to discover the scientific side of archaeology, and the humanities in general. If you're in the area on Halloween weekend, don't miss the exhibitions and events focusing on the origins of Samhain, the Celtic festival of the dead, later revived by the Irish exodus to America. And in fine weather, you can take part in Summer Thursdays (mosaic workshops, etc.). In short, this is a fascinating museum, a must-see, to satisfy (or arouse) the desires of the whole family!