The Oppidum d’Altimurium, also known as the ''Oppidum Murviel-les-Montpellier'', is an ancient hill-town (or ''

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...

'') near the village of

Murviel-lès-Montpellier Murviel-lès-Montpellier (, literally ''Murviel near Montpellier''; Languedocien: ''Mervièlh'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The Oppidum d'Altimurium, also known as the ''Oppidum Murviel- ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, located between

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

and

Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...

. It has been listed since 1896 as a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

. Oppidum pré-romain ou site archéologique de l'agglomération antique du Castellas The site, which overlooks the Montpellier

garrigue Garrigue or garigue ( ), also known as phrygana ( el, φρύγανα , n. pl.), is a type of low scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils in southern Fra ...

at 190m altitude and covers about 20 hectares, is one of the largest hill forts in the region, on par with those of Ensérune or

Ambrussum Ambrussum (, ; ) is a Roman archaeological site in Villetelle, Occitania, Southern France. It is close to the modern town Lunel, between Nîmes and Montpellier. Ambrussum is notable for its museum, its staging post on the Via Domitia, its bridg ...

.Oppidum d’Altimurium
decouverte34.com It was founded in the 2nd century BC, and was protected by a 1st-century BC wall almost 2 km long. The city was divided into two zones: the upper town atop the hill and the lower town on the slopes, down almost to the present town of Murviel-les-Montpellier. The Roman monumental area, located between the upper town and lower town of the oppidum, contains a square 75m long, rooms built against the hill, 2 large porches arranged on each side of the square, and a large building of the

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...

which was probably a temple. Much of the site is now protected and is open to the public as a major historical site in the Montpellier region. In 2009, excavations were still in progress. An archaeological museum with some artifacts from the site is located in Murviel-les-Montpellier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altimurium, Oppidum D' Monuments historiques of Hérault Former populated places in France Tourist attractions in Hérault Oppida Roman towns and cities in France