View source for Bibracte

{{Short description|Gallic fortified town and capital of the Aedui}}
{{Distinguish||text=[[Bibrax]], the oppidum of the [[Remi]]}}
{{Infobox ancient site
 |name = Bibracte
 |native_name = 
 |alternate_name = Mont Beuvray
 |image = Bibracte333.JPG
 |alt = 
 |caption = Walls of Bibracte
 |map_type = France
 |map_size = 
 |relief = 
 |map_caption = Location within France
 |coordinates = {{coord|46|55|23|N|4|02|15|E|display=inline,title}}
 |location = Near [[Autun]], France
 |region = [[Gaul]]
 |type = [[Oppidum]]
 |part_of = 
 |length = 
 |width = 
 |area = 
 |height = 
 |builder = 
 |material = 
 |built = 
 |abandoned = 
 |epochs = [[Iron Age Europe]]
 |cultures = [[Aedui]]
 |dependency_of = 
 |occupants = 
 |event = 
 |excavations = 
 |archaeologists = 
 |condition = 
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}}
[[File:Plan Bibracte-fr.svg|thumb|right|280x280px|Plan of the oppidum of Bibracte]]
'''Bibracte''', a [[Gauls|Gallic]] ''[[oppidum]]'' (fortified settlement), was the capital of the [[Aedui]] and one of the most important [[hillfort]]s in [[Gaul]]. It was located near modern [[Autun]] in [[Burgundy]], [[France]]. The [[archaeological culture|material culture]] of the Aedui corresponded to the Late [[Iron Age Europe|Iron Age]] [[La Tène culture]].

In 58&nbsp;BC, at the [[Battle of Bibracte]], [[Julius Caesar]]'s armies defeated the [[Helvetii]] 16 miles south of the fort. In 52&nbsp;BC, [[Vercingetorix]] was proclaimed head of the Gaulish coalition at Bibracte. A few decades after the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] conquest of Gaul, Bibracte was abandoned in favour of [[Autun]], 25 kilometres away. Once abandoned, Bibracte remained undisturbed and unexamined until discovered by [[modern archaeology]].

[[Jacques-Gabriel Bulliot]] initiated the first excavations at the site between 1867 and 1895. His nephew [[Joseph Déchelette]], author of a famous ''Manuel d'Archéologie'', continued the excavations between 1897 and 1907.

The modern site, known as '''Mont Beuvray''', is generally identified as ancient Bibracte. The site straddles the borders of the French départements of [[Nièvre]] and [[Saône-et-Loire]] in Burgundy. The site is an archaeological park at the centre of a protected forest. It is the focus of cooperative [[European Union|European]] archaeological efforts, a training ground for young archaeologists, and a centre for interpreting Gaulish culture for a popular audience. Important international excavations have been undertaken at Mont Beuvray by teams from the universities of [[Brno]], [[Sheffield]], [[Kiel]], [[Budapest]], [[Vienna]] and [[Leipzig]].

On 12 December 2007 the site of Bibracte received the "Great Site of France" designation.

Before the Roman conquest in 52&nbsp;BC the great Celtic city of Bibracte had more than thirty thousand inhabitants,<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=New Methods, Old Problems: Geographic Information Systems in Modern Archaeological Research|author1=Maschner, H.D.G.|author2=Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Center for Archaeological Investigations|date=1996|publisher=Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale|isbn=9780881040791|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKYWAQAAIAAJ|access-date=2015-06-27}}</ref> protected by a huge stone wall of the [[Murus Gallicus]] type which enclosed an area of 135 hectares.<ref name="google2">{{cite book|title=Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe|author=McIntosh, J.|date=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195384765|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jEIv-GgyLn8C&pg=PA158|page=158|access-date=2015-06-27}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
[[File:Bibracte2.JPG|right|thumb|Bibracte and Autun|261x261px]]
The origin of the word ''Bibracte'' is still poorly understood. The term may have come from the [[Celtic language|Celtic]] ''*bibro- / *bebro-'' ([[beaver]]) followed by the collective suffix ''-akti'' (cf. Irish, Gallic ''aktā'')<ref>[[Pierre-Yves Lambert]], La langue gauloise, éditions errance 1994.</ref> or from the Latin ''biffractrus'' (twice fortified).<ref>[[Christian Goudineau]] et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, ''À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois'', éditions errance, 1993, p15</ref> The latter version, however, is thought questionable from a strategic view,<ref>D'un point de vue phonétique également, Biffractus aurait donné ''*Beffray'' et non pas ''Beuvray''.</ref> since it is very difficult to protect a [[battlement]] over a long distance, a problem which a double battlement would only have exacerbated. Moreover, the stone facing of the outer surrounding wall was reused for the construction of the second wall, meaning it is unlikely that Bibracte was surrounded by two walls at the same time.

Three inscriptions dedicated to the goddess ''Bibracte'' which were found at [[Autun]] in the 17th century provide another explanation for the name, but two of the inscriptions carved into the stone have disappeared and the authenticity of the third, engraved on a brass medallion, has been the object of debate. Some scholars of the era have cited other evidence to justify placing the Aeduian oppidum on the site of Autun (the former [[Augustodunum]]), which was effectively the capital of the [[Aedui]] in the first century.<ref name="Goudineau">[[Christian Goudineau]] et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, ''À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois'', éditions Errance, pp 1–6 1993</ref>

== Discovery of Bibracte ==
Bibracte is mentioned only twice in Roman sources. The first mention is found in [[Julius Caesar]]'s ''[[Commentaries on the Gallic War]]'' in the year 58&nbsp;BC. It was mentioned again in 52&nbsp;BCE, when he was questioning the intentions of his Aedui allies, who had joined the revolt and crowned [[Vercingetorix]] king of the Gauls at Bibracte. Inscriptions from the era announced that the capital of the Aedui received the name {{ILL|Augustodunum|fr}} (''the citadel of Augustus'') during the reign of Augustus, which gave rise to the current Autun.

Starting in the 16th century, a passion for local history arose among scholars, aristocrats, and clergy, which led to the question of the location of Bibracte.<ref name="regards">[[Christian Goudineau]], ''Regards sur la Gaule'', éditions Errance, 1998, pp. 65–82</ref> One theory placed Bibracte at Autun: the Gallic city at the site of the Gallo-Roman city. Another placed it at [[Beaune]] and was defended by the scholar {{ILL|Hugues de Salins|fr}}. A third located the city on the slopes of Beuvrect or Bevrect, today known as [[Mont Beuvray]]. This last theory was based on three major arguments. First, there is a connection between the names Bibracte and Beuvrect. Second, medieval chronicles situated the city at Beuvrect. This was reinforced by the existence of an annual fair on the first Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of May, the age of which is attested to in texts from the 13th century. Finally, the discovery of pottery, coins, and the [[s:Une description du Beuvrect|observations of the priest of Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray]] in 1725 supported it.<ref name="regards"/>

Generally, the Autun hypothesis received the greatest approval at first. Moreover, Autun was renamed Bibracte after the French Revolution and remained so for some time.<ref name="regards"/> Only the research of {{ILL|Jacques Gabriel Bulliot|fr}} in the 19th century shifted scholarly opinion in favor of Mont Beuvray. In 1851, Bulliot communicated with the Congress of the French Society of Archeology about an ancient chapel (the Saint Martin chapel on Mont Beuvray) established to Christianize the Aedui.<ref name="Goudineau"/> He also returned to Mont Beuvray to take more notes. He discovered what he thought was the embankment of a Roman camp (actually a [[nemeton]]) at the summit of Mont Beuvray next to the chapel. He documented it and considered placing Bibracte at Mont Beuvray instead of Autun, contrary to the unanimous opinion of the Aedui Society. The publication of his ''Essay on the Roman System of Defense in the Aedui country between the Saône and the Loire'', in which he revealed his convictions, was not taken seriously by the members of the Society of Archeology.

[[File:Bibracte, 1st century B.C.jpg|thumb|Bibracte oppidum, birds-eye view illustration|257x257px]]

Emperor [[Napoleon III]] took an interest in the battles of the [[Gallic Wars]] and an officer named Stoffel, charged by the Emperor with conducting investigations of the Roman victory over the [[Helvetii]], visited Bulliot, who shared with him his opinions about the location of Bibracte. Stoffel was not interested, but he commissioned Xavier Garenne, another member of the Aedui Society, to make a survey of Mont Beavray.<ref name="Goudineau"/> At the same time, the Viscount of Aboville, the owner of the land, conducted research and shared it with the Archbishop of Reims, who was a member of the Aedui Society and a friend of Bulliot, though he did not share Bulliot's theory about the location of Bibracte. Interested by these investigations, the Archbishop shared the various findings with the Emperor who, in 1867, assigned Bulliot to do research at Mont Beavray and funded his work.<ref name="Goudineau"/>

Bulliot excavated the site from 1867 to 1905, removing all doubt about the location of Bibracte. His nephew [[Joseph Déchelette]], whom he introduced to excavation, continued the work until 1907, comparing Bibracte to other sites in Europe such as [[Stradonice (Kladno District)|Stradonice]] in Bohemia, the [[Oppidum of Manching|Manching]] in Germany and [[Velem|Velem-Zenst-Vid]] in Hungary, which were precursors of the cultural unification of the Celtic world and of the civilization of [[oppidum|oppida]].<ref>Stephan Fichtl, La ville celtique, Les oppida de 150 av. J.-C. à 15 ap. J.-C., éditions Errance, 2005, p. 17</ref>

== History of the oppidum ==
{{Main|Aedui}}

=== Chronology of the population of Beuvray ===
[[File:Mont Beuvray 1.jpg|thumb|257x257px|View of Mont Beuvray from the north]]

During the excavations of the gate, five [[artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s were discovered, the oldest of which demonstrated human habitation on Mont Beuvray in the [[Neolithic Era]].<ref>[[Christian Goudineau]] et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois, éditions Errance, 1993, p27</ref> Dating techniques have shown that the oppidum was founded at end of the 3rd century BCE, on an area of 200 hectares protected by the exterior rampart. An interior rampart was built later, for reasons unknown.<ref name="romero60">Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, p.60</ref>

Because the Aedui had the status of "friend of the Roman people," contacts with Roman merchants were probable before the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. This privileged status prevented Bibracte from suffering much from conflict: in 58&nbsp;BCE, at [[Montmort]] 25 kilometers south of the site, Julius Caesar's armies defeated the [[Helvetii]],<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book I, 23</ref> forcing them to return to Switzerland and gradually be incorporated into what became the [[Roman Empire]]. In 52&nbsp;BCE, an assembly of Gallic peoples at Bibracte gave [[Vercingetorix]] supreme command of the Gallic armies.<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book VII, 63</ref><ref name="romero2">Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, p16</ref> Despite this insurrection, Caesar treated the city mercifully after his victory at [[Alesia (city)|Alesia]]. He stayed there during the winter of 52-51&nbsp;BCE<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book VII, 90, Book VIII, 2</ref> to write his ''Commentaries on the Gallic War''. These mentioned the names of certain notables of the Aedui aristocracy such as [[Dumnorix]], [[vergobret]] of the Aedui, and his brother [[Diviciacus (Aedui)|Diviciacus]], the [[druid]]. The city's industry boomed in the decades following the war.

[[Strabo]] the geographer, writing a generation later than Caesar, identified Bibracte as again an Aedui stronghold.<ref>[[Strabo]], Geography, Book IV, 3, 2</ref>

After the founding of [[Autun]] ([[Augustodunum]]) 25 kilometers away c. 15&nbsp;BCE, during the reign of [[Augustus]], Bibracte was gradually abandoned by its inhabitants. However, cults continued to practise their rites in its temples and its fountains and its aristocratic residences were maintained. Two main hypotheses have been advanced concerning the abandonment of the site over several decades. Migration could have been caused by economic reasons or by a desire to integrate with the Roman model; a part of the dominant Aedui class, already pro-Roman during the [[Gallic War]], definitely realized the strategic importance of the new city located on the principal axes of communication and wanted to conform to the Roman model of flatland cities, while a more traditional population remained for a time on the Bibracte site.<ref>Stephan Fichtl, La ville celtique, Les oppida de 150 av. J.-C. à 15 ap. J.-C., éditions Errance, 2005, pp 191–198</ref>

It is known from 13th century texts that a festival every first Monday of May survived.<ref name="regards"/> In the 15th and 16th centuries, a Franciscan convent was established on Mont Beuvray.<ref name="romero2"/> It was abandoned, but the festival continued.

=== Influence and power ===
[[File:Map of Eduens people-fr.svg|thumb|right|268x268px|The Aedui confederation]]
The power of the Aedui capital was related in the ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', which underlined the many alliances held by the Aedui with neighboring peoples. Julius Caesar also mentioned the wars that set the Aedui against the [[Arverni]] and the [[Sequani]] for hegemony over a large part of Gaul. These references were not impartial, since Rome had been allied with the Aedui, "our blood brothers",<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book I, 33</ref> since at least the 2nd century BCE. Moreover, they maintained commercial links and military alliances: Rome helped the Aedui in the 2nd century to defeat an Arverni army and rose to their defense against the invasion of the Helvetii that precipitated the [[Gallic War]].

[[Gabriel de Mortillet]], in his classification of ancient peoples, included the site's residents under the name "Beavraisian", a category abandoned by modern scholars.<ref>Modélisation des connaissances temporelles en archéologie [https://web.archive.org/web/20061123153657/https://liris.cnrs.fr/publis/pdf/Calabretto-2003_liris996.pdf?id=996 (page 5)]</ref>

In addition to this powerful alliance with Rome, the Aedui were part of a confederation of Celtic tribes that included:
*The [[Ambarri]] (in [[Ain]])
*The [[Brannovices]]
*The [[Bellovaci]]
*The [[Bituriges Cubi|Bituriges]] (in [[Berry (province)|Berry]])
*The [[Parisii (Gaul)|Parisii]]
*The [[Segusiavi]] ([[Forez]], adjacent to the Arverni)
*The [[Senones]] ([[Sens]] region)
Whose influence extended across a large part of Gaul.

==== Commerce ====
[[File:Amphores de vin de Bibracte.jpg|thumb|Imported amphorae|193x193px]]

In his ''History of Gaul'', the historian [[Camille Jullian]] writes these lines about the [[Aedui]]: "Bibracte, I am sure, was the source and the guarantee of their power. Around Bibracte were very good roads, uniting the three biggest basins of [[France]]."<ref>Histoire de la Gaule, 8 vol, Camille Jullian</ref>

So, the Roman products traveling up the [[Rhône]] (the waterways were the fastest means of travel at the time) and taking after that the [[Saône]], the [[Loire]] or the [[Allier (river)|Allier]], passed through Aedui territory before joining the basins of the [[Loire]] and [[Seine]]. The Aedui were located at a commercial crossroads between the Celtic world and [[Rome]]. They allowed the diffusion of Roman products through Gaul as early as the 2nd century BCE, allowing their allies to benefit from their commerce with Rome and definitely with Greek colonies such as [[Marseille|Massilia]]. These exchanges are confirmed by the large quantities of [[amphora]]s and ceramics from Italy found in waste tanks and in the paving of houses.

[[File:Mont-Beuvray - Cave.jpg|thumb|right|Reconstruction of a cellar at Bibracte |224x224px]]

In addition, the Aedui installed a system of customs that taxed products passing through their territory to increase their wealth, as attested in the texts of Julius Caesar: "It was typical of [[Dumnorix]]: the man was audacious, his generosity made him popular, and he wanted political change. For years, he has had the control of the customs and all the other taxes of the Aedui, because when he bid, no one dared bid against him."<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book I, 18</ref> The Aedui and the [[Sequani]] fought each other to control the Arar (now the Saône) because controlling the river allowed taxation of Roman and Celtic products traveling north.

In the centre of the oppidum many cellars and certain public buildings that stored large quantities of cereals and wine imported from the southern countries have been found.<ref>Anne-Marie Romero, ''Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise'' : Des graines carbonisées ont été retrouvées dans une cave qui a brûlé.</ref> One of these wooden cellars has recently been reconstructed. Without a doubt, it was in these buildings that the Aedui centralized their harvests and imports.

==== Politics ====
{{See also|Vergobret|Druid}}
[[File:Monnaie représentant le chef éduen Dumnorix, portant l’inscription DVBNOCOV - DUBNOREX, conservée au musée de Bibracte..jpg|thumb|Coin representing Dumnorix with the inscription DVBNOCOV / DUBNOREX|168x168px]]
[[File:Monnaie d'argent de la tribu des Eduens..jpg|thumb|Aedui coin|168x168px]]
The political system of the Aedui was essentially structured according to indications in the ''Commentaries on the Gallic War''. At the head of the Aedui state sat a senate comprising one member of each Aedui aristocratic family. What is today called ''[[Executive (government)|executive power]]'' was held by the [[vergobret]], the supreme [[magistrate]], who exercised his functions over the course of a year. He was forbidden from leaving the borders of the territory during this period, which prevented him from commanding the army outside the borders.<ref name="institutions">[[Christian Goudineau]] et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois, éditions Errance, 1993, pp 81–83</ref> This measure, along with that which authorized only one voice per aristocratic family in the senate, aimed to prevent any individual or their family from monopolizing the reins of power. The vergobret was publicly elected by a council directed by the [[Druid|druids]]. Among the Aedui, it seems like the vergobret also exercised a [[judiciary]] role, since Caesar reports that he had "the right to life and death over his fellow citizens". Finally, it is thought that the vergobret was responsible for the administration of the territory.<ref name="institutions"/> 

Furthermore, it is known that the druids held high functions since [[Diviciacus (Aedui)|Diviciacus]] came to Rome to plead the case of the Aedui during the Germanic invasion led by [[Ariovistus]] on the account of the [[Sequani]];<ref>[[Julius Caesar]], ''Commentaries on the Gallic War'', Book I</ref> he also directed the Aedui cavalry during the [[Gallic Wars|Gallic War]] after the death of his brother [[Dumnorix]]. Therefore, it is thought that some druids held high military positions.

== Archeological research on Mont Beuvray ==
From 1865 to 1895, Gabriel Bulliot identified Bibracte in 1867 and began excavations there (notably the Celtic artisanal neighborhood surrounding the Rebout gate), with the aid of funds allocated by Napoleon III.<ref name="Goudineau"/> In fact, having a passion for history, the emperor set off vast campaigns of excavations to uncover sites of the Gallic War in order to write his ''History of Julius Caesar''. Joseph Déchelette, the nephew of Bulliot, took up his work again from 1895 to 1907. He was killed during World War I and the excavations fell into neglect. In 1984, the excavations began again under the impetus of [[François Mitterrand]], who proclaimed Bibracte a site of national interest in 1985.<ref name="romero2"/> This term, invented for the occasion, allowed the site to be subsidized. The label of "national interest" was created afterward in order to designate exhibitions or sites which benefit from a program of diffusion and enlargement of the public by the Minister of Culture. This gives the necessary impetus to a project of excavations of European scope. Thus, in 1989, the European Archeological Center of Mont Beuvray was created, which includes the site, the museum, and the research center of [[Glux-en-Glenne]]. It was inaugurated in 1995. The excavations were conducted by Vincent Guichard and put into practice by many French and foreign teams; the excavations notably concentrated on the Gallic neighborhood of Rebout, on the vast Gallo-Roman ensemble of the Pasture of the Convent and the Roman residence of the Horse Park.

Specialists, researchers, professors and students from all over Europe come together on the site every summer to excavate different parts of the site.<ref>Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gaulois, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 63–64</ref> These have included, among others:
*[[Austria]]: [[University of Vienna]]
*[[Belgium]]: [[Université Libre de Bruxelles]]
*[[Czech Republic]]: [[Masaryk University]]
*[[France]]: [[University of Franche-Comté]], [[University of Burgundy]], [[University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne]], [[Pierre and Marie Curie University]], [[François Rabelais University]]
*[[Germany]]: [[University of Kiel]], [[University of Leipzig]], [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich]], [[University of Mainz]]
*[[Hungary]]: [[Eötvös Loránd University]]
*[[Italy]]: [[University of Bologna]]
*[[Poland]]: [[Rzeszów University]]
*[[Slovenia]]: [[University of Ljubljana]]
*[[Spain]]: [[Autonomous University of Madrid|University of Madrid]] and [[University of Zaragoza]]
*[[Switzerland]]: [[University of Lausanne]]
*[[United Kingdom]]: [[University of Edinburgh]]
Each university excavates the site as part of tri-annual projects consisting of several weeks of work on the terrain followed by a detailed study of the excavation and of the objects discovered, which are then stored at the site's research center.

=== Archeological prospecting on Mont Beuvray ===
The early prospecting technique used by Bulliot was rudimentary. It consisted of observing the irregularities in the landscape, since the mountain was practically unchanged since the period under study. This allowed him to recreate a plan of the battlements with nearly no excavation. He used this technique to make a scale plan with the help of army topographers, who made a series of topographical recreations of the landscape. However, only the recreation of the Porrey neighborhood still exists to this day.<ref name="romero98">Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 98–99</ref>

In recent years, the same technique has been used in the Porrey neighborhood with more precise tools, such as [[theodolite]]s and [[Global Positioning System|GPS]]. Aerial and electromagnetic prospecting is made impossible by the forest and vegetation on the mountain since the end of grazing and the excavations of Joseph Déchelette, as well as the nature of the subsoil.<ref name="romero98" /> One costly but faster technique, tested in 2007, is [[LIDAR]], the use of airborne laser scanners, which are unhindered by the vegetation and can recreate in minutes what usually takes weeks to do on the ground. This will be done in order to attempt to make a complete map of the city and to archive the topography of the location.

== Organization ==
The research done by Bulliot and Déchelette at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century recreated an organization of the site into neighborhoods, with construction mostly following a central road from the Gate of Rebout to the Great Gates. This organization differs from that of oppida like Manching, where there is a regular urban framework; this is explained by the relief of the terrain, as the battlements encircle three summits with some relatively steep slopes.

Since 1984, the excavations have seemed to confirm Déchelette's and Bulliot's hypotheses in broad terms, while nevertheless contributing certain nuances.

=== Battlements ===
{{Main|Murus Gallicus}}
[[File:La Porte du Rebout, principal accès à l’oppidum de Bibracte au Ier s. av. notre ère. Porte et murs ont été reconstruits après la fouille selon la technique du murus gallicus. Nièvre, Morvan, Bourgogne, France.jpg|thumb|The walls of Bibracte]]
Bibracte was protected by strong [[Murus Gallicus]] style battlements, which excavations have been able to reconstruct. The city had a progression of two different surrounding walls and at least five restorations of the inner surrounding wall, revealed, among other things, by the study of the Rebout gate.<ref name="romero60"/> Surprisingly, the inner encircling wall was constructed after the outer wall. The city, therefore, shrank in area from 200 to 135 hectares (494 to 334 acres).

The internal wall, discovered by Bulliot, is a Murus Gallicus that delimits an area of 135 hectares for a length of {{convert|5|km|mi|sp=us}} per battlement. It is estimated that construction of the wall required more than 10,000 cubic meters of wood, between 10,000 and 20,000 cubic meters of earth and about thirty tons of iron.<ref>Stephan Fichtl, La ville celtique, Les oppida de 150 av. J.-C. à 15 ap. J.-C., éditions Errance, 2005, pp. 62–63 (évaluation réalisée d'après les calculs de [[Joseph Déchelette|Déchelette]] et rectifiés par les données fournies lors de la reconstruction du rempart à la porte du Rebout).</ref>

The outer wall encircles an area of 200 hectares and was the subject of research beginning in 1992 for initial probing. This archeological research revealed that the battlement originally had a height between four and five meters (13 and 16 feet) without its yet-unknown top (e.g., palisades or towers) and an identical depth, and was preceded by a ditch between {{convert|2|and|4|m|ft}} deep and between {{convert|6|and|10|m|ft}} wide. A study was conducted between 1995 and 2002 with many probes along with those by the [[University of Vienna]]. The researchers were able to ascertain that this battlement was a Murus Gallicus that had been dismantled in order to construct the inner wall. The dating, however, remains imprecise, and places this event during the 2nd century.<ref name="romero60"/>

[[File:Bibracte Porte Rebout.jpg|thumb|Part of the Rebout gate. Reconstruction of a ''murus gallicus'']]

The battlement is punctuated by about fifteen gates, including the famous Gate of Rebout (20 meters (66 feet) in width and 40 meters (131 feet) in depth). The gate of Rebout was the first location excavated by Bulliot, where he worked for nine weeks, and was the first site for new excavations from 1984 to 1986 which also studied the ditches adjoining the battlements.<ref>Anne-Marie Romero, ''Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise'', Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 56–57</ref> These excavations revealed five levels of different restorations, including a [[palisade]] from the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]] (dated with [[carbon-14]]). The latter has been the object of a reconstruction since 1996 which currently marks the entry into the old [[oppidum]]. At the present time, research has not been able to detect a trace of a method for locking the gate or a defensive device for it. Some hypotheses have advanced the idea of a double gate surmounted by a wooden guard tower like that of the Manching oppidum, but nothing has yet confirmed this.

The recent research on the battlements, since 2005, has concentrated on a line of fortification downhill from the Gate of Rebout. Dating seems to indicate that this construction took place after that of the gate and therefore constituted an advance fortification. At the same time, some aristocratic tombs have been discovered between the two lines of battlements.<ref name="bibracte">{{cite web|url=http://www.bibracte.fr|title=parc archéologique et centre de recherche – Bibracte en Bourgogne (Mont Beuvray) : archéologie gauloise / celtique, fouilles, musée|author=Ideal Productions|publisher=bibracte.fr|access-date=2015-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050206041613/http://www.bibracte.fr/|archive-date=2005-02-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Public buildings ===
Excavations conducted between 2012 and 2017 uncovered the remains of a large monumental public building dating to the La Tène period, c. 70 BC. In the first phase of construction (c. 70 BC) a terrace was built, surrounded by a ''murus gallicus'' stone wall with a large entrance on the east side. On the terrace a 44-metre-long square building was constructed out of wood, with galleries surrounding a central courtyard. Around 30 BC a monumental building was erected in the central space and the galleries were replaced with a palisade. In c. 15 BC the previous building was levelled and a vast platform was built which was surrounded by stone walls. In the centre the space was possibly occupied by a new central building. Next to this another platform was built, also surrounded by a stone wall, with an internal gallery built from wood. These constructions have been compared to other known public buildings and temples from the La Tène period, though the precise purpose of the buildings at Bibracte is yet to be determined. According to Hantrais et al. (2020) "The characteristics of this monumental construction indicate that it was certainly a public building with original architectural features and techniques. Yet, although this monumental building is very well documented archaeologically, its exact function remains enigmatic."<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/42644330|title=The PC15 Building: a Wood-Built Public Place at the Center of the Oppidum of Bibracte (France)|date=2020|journal=Chronika |volume=10|pages=44–53|last1=Hantrais|first1=Juliette|last2=Barral|first2=Philippe|last3=Nouvel|first3=Pierre|last4=Thivet|first4=Matthieu|last5=Joly|first5=Martine}}</ref>

=== Artisans' neighborhoods of Côme Chaudron and Champlain ===

Excavations in the neighborhoods known as the Côme Cauldron and the Champlain, near the Rebout Gate, have revealed a neighborhood dedicated to metalwork and to artisans' lodging. This metalworking seems to have been very specialized, incorporating blacksmiths, bronzeworkers, and enamellers, whose workshops had already been restored by Bulliot, and probably also involved goldsmiths and minters.<ref>Anne-Marie Romero, ''Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise'', Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 67–69</ref>

Excavations on the site of Beuvray, in the region of the Champlain, and on the surrounding massifs revealed the existence of mines for the extraction of metals, including gold, iron, and tin ore. This research will continue and will attempt to restore the workshops for the smelting of the metals extracted outside the oppidum. In fact, given the specialization of the workshops in Bibracte, it seems that the metals arrived in bars which were therefore cast outside the oppidum.

Another artisanal neighborhood has been found in the region of one of the summits of the site, at the Rock of the [[Wyvern]], an area which had been little investigated at the time of Bulliot and Déchelette's research. This neighborhood will be the object of future excavations which will attempt to determine the function of the neighborhood.<ref name="bibracte"/>

=== Housing ===
[[File:Bibracte piece gauloise.jpg|right|thumb|Hypothetical reconstruction of a Gallic house, Bibracte, Museum of Celtic Civilisation|235x235px]]
Predominantly made of wood and earth, the Gallic houses used stone only sparingly, which was saved for the ramparts. Little is known of the houses' structure as wood rots and decomposes. There are, however, stone constructions in the horse Park district, probably aristocratic residences and a public building with columns, near the convent's pasture. These were probably constructed soon after the [[Gallic Wars]].<ref name="Romero">{{in lang|fr}} Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 87–89</ref>

=== Horse Park ===
At the center of Mont Beuvray, the plateau known as the Horse Park holds several Roman-style stone houses which were excavated in the 19th century. The houses include, in particular, the residence PC1<ref>PC1, for Parc aux Chevaux 1. Bulliot gave designations to the excavations by indicating the initials of the place of discovery, then giving a number for each building in an individual location</ref> (so named by Bulliot), which is a veritable gold mine for the researchers. In fact, it developed from a wood construction (of Roman inspiration) into a [[domus]] with an [[Atrium (architecture)|atrium]] containing an [[impluvium]], [[portico]]s, and [[thermae]] heated by [[hypocaust]], along with a system of sewers. In its final stage, the residence measured 55 by 67 meters, covering an area of around 3500 square meters, about four times the size of the domus found on the site of [[Pompeii]]. It is estimated that there were about fifteen domus' in this area, such as PC2,<ref>Parc au Chevaux 2</ref> a smaller residence that faces PC1 on the other side of the central road. There are also homes of the [[villa rustica]] type (the Italian rural residences) like PC33.<ref>Parc aux Chevaux 33</ref> However, it is still not known whether this was a residential neighborhood reserved for only the elite, since excavations have also revealed the presence of forges near the domus.<ref name="Romero" />

=== Monumental basin ===
{{See also|Druids|Glauberg}}
[[File:Bibracte basin 1.jpg|thumb|Monumental Basin of Bibracte, built in the axis of the main street of the oppidum.]]

At the centre of the main road, in the area of the Pasture of the Monastery, stands a pink granite monumental basin which is thought to have had a sacred function. It could possibly represent a sacred point of the city's founding, or a water shrine. Water left the basin through the northern opening downstream, continuing through a pipe. The supply of water, however, has not yet been discovered. The basin was waterproofed with a coat of red clay, precluding a feed from a spring, and no supply pipe has been found. The manner of granite carving is unusual and shows Mediterranean influences. It has similarities to later Gallo-Roman stone basins and could be considered the oldest known example of this type.<ref name=":0" /> 

The design of the basin has an astronomical and mathematical significance:  

1) The minor axis of the basin is aligned with the winter solstice sunrise and summer solstice sunset.<ref>{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Raymond |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CMPL/article/view/CMPL9191220275A |title=El Estanque Monumentale de Bibracte |date=January 1991 |editor-last1=Almagro-Gorbea |editor-first1=Martin |pages=275–277 |chapter=Determining the orientation of Le Bassin Monumentale de Bibracte |editor-last2=Gran-Aymerich |editor-first2=Jean}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Almagro-Gorbea |first1=Martin |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CMPL/article/view/CMPL9191220283A |title=El Estanque Monumentale de Bibracte |date=January 1991 |editor-last1=Almagro-Gorbea |editor-first1=Martin |pages=283–286 |chapter=La orientación topoastronómica |editor-last2=Gran-Aymerich |editor-first2=Jean}}</ref><ref name=":0" />  

2) The basin has a geometric design based on two circles intersecting at 1/5 of their diameter, forming a precise 3:4:5 [[Pythagorean triangle]] between the centre of the circles, the centre of the basin and the end of the basin.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Almagro-Gorbea |first1=Martin |url=https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CMPL/article/view/CMPL9191220239A |title=El Estanque Monumentale de Bibracte |last2=Gran-Aymerich |first2=Jean |date=January 1991 |editor-last1=Almagro-Gorbea |editor-first1=Martin |pages=239–240 |chapter=Summary |editor-last2=Gran-Aymerich |editor-first2=Jean}}</ref>  

3) The basin has a length/breadth/height ratio of 3/1/0.5, equivalent to 36/12/6 units with a value of 30.4cm. A similar unit of measurement has been identified at the [[oppidum of Manching]] in Germany and described as a 'Celtic foot'.<ref name=":0" />  

Based on these characteristics, it has been suggested that the basin represents a [[Druid|druidic]] monument.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

[[File:Bibracte - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Monumental Basin of Bibracte|224x224px]]

Maumené (2018) suggests that the main axis of the basin is orientated towards a celestial alignment with the [[Gemini (constellation)|constellation of Gemini]], reflecting the religious importance of the [[Dioscuri]] ([[Divine twins|Divine Twins]]) in the [[Celtic deities|Gallic pantheon]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JSA/article/view/10650 |journal=Journal of Skyscape Archaeology |volume=4 |issue=2 |date=2018 |title=The Monumental Basin of Mont Beuvray and its Possible Orientation towards the Constellation of Gemini |last1=Maumené |first1=Claude |pages=229–245 |doi=10.1558/jsa.36228|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The boat-like shape of the basin might be related to the mythology of the [[Solar deity#Solar vessels and chariots|solar boat]], which is also associated with the Divine Twins.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC|year=1997|last1=Mallory|first1=James P.|place=London|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-884964-98-5|last2=Adams|first2=Douglas Q.|author1-link=J. P. Mallory|author2-link=Douglas Q. Adams |pages=161}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/41382644 |journal=Irish Lives Remembered |volume=47 |date=2019 |pages=34–41 |title=Defenders of the Sun: The "Divine Twins" in Irish Mythology |last=Kelly |first=Eamonn P}}</ref>

Almagro-Gorbea (2017) suggests that the Bibracte basin "seems to be correlated to the druid [[Diviciacus (Aedui)|Diviciacus]], an expert in the philosophy of nature",<ref name=":1">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N8XeDQAAQBAJ&dq=founding%20rituals%20and%20myths%20in%20the%20keltik&pg=PA336|title=Eurasia at the Dawn of History|chapter=Founding rituals and myths in the Keltike |last1=Almagro-Gorbea |first1=Martin |date=January 1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |editor-last1=Krausse |editor-first1=Dirk |editor-last2=Fernández-Götz |editor-first2=Manuel  |pages=336–350|isbn=9781316943175 }}</ref> in reference to [[Cicero]]'s statement that “there are indeed Druids in Gaul — for I knew one of them myself, Divitiacus, the Aeduan ... He claimed to have that knowledge of nature which the Greeks call ''<nowiki/>'physiologia'".''<ref>{{Cite web |title=M. Tullius Cicero, Divination, Book 1, Section 90 |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0043%3Abook%3D1%3Asection%3D90 |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu/}}</ref> 

Various classical authors referred to the druids as [[Philosophy|philosophers]], who possessed a knowledge of [[astronomy]] and adhered to [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] beliefs and practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book 5 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/5B*.html#ref31 |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu/ |quote=Philosophers, as we may call them, and men learned in religious affairs are unusually honoured among them and are called by them Druids. [...] the belief of Pythagoras prevails among them, that the souls of men are immortal and that after a prescribed number of years they commence upon a new life, the soul entering into another body.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Strabo, Geography, Book 4, chapter 4, section 4 |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/4D*.html |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu/ |quote=Among all the Gallic peoples, generally speaking, there are three sets of men who are held in exceptional honour; the Bards, the Vates and the Druids. The Bards are singers and poets; the Vates, diviners and natural philosophers; while the Druids, in addition to natural philosophy, study also moral philosophy. ... not only the Druids, but others as well, say that men's souls, and also the universe, are indestructible, although both fire and water will at some time or other prevail over them.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0258 |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=perseus.tufts.edu |quote=There are some who say that the study of philosophy had its beginning among the barbarians. They urge that the Persians have had their Magi, the Babylonians or Assyrians their Chaldaeans, and the Indians their Gymnosophists; and among the Celts and Gauls there are the people called Druids or Holy Ones, for which they cite as authorities the Magicus of Aristotle and Sotion in the twenty-third book of his Succession of Philosophers. [...] As to the Gymnosophists and Druids we are told that they uttered their philosophy in riddles, bidding men to reverence the gods, to abstain from wrongdoing, and to practise courage.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pomponius Mela, The Situation of the World, 3.2.18-19|url=https://people.stfx.ca/mlinklet/ClassicalAuthors.htm |access-date=16 April 2022 |quote=they have their own eloquence and wise men called Druids. They claim to know the size of the earth and cosmos, the movements of the heavens and stars, and the will of the gods. They teach, in caves or hidden groves, many things to the nobles in a course of instruction lasting up to twenty years. One of their doctrines has become commonly known to the populace so that warriors might fight more bravely, that the spirit is eternal and another life awaits the spirits of the dead.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, Book 6, chapter 14 |url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Caesar/Gallic_War/6B*.html |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu/ |quote=The Druids usually hold aloof from war, and do not pay war‑taxes with the rest; they are excused from military service and exempt from all liabilities. Tempted by these great rewards, many young men assemble of their own motion to receive their training; many are sent by parents and relatives. Report says that in the schools of the Druids they learn by heart a great number of verses, and therefore some persons remain twenty years under training. And they do not think it proper to commit these utterances to writing, although in almost all other matters, and in their public and private accounts, they make use of Greek letters. ... The cardinal doctrine which they seek to teach is that souls do not die, but after death pass from one to another; and this belief, as the fear of death is thereby cast aside, they hold to be the greatest incentive to valour. Besides this, they have many discussions as touching the stars and their movement, the size of the universe and of the earth, the order of nature, the strength and the powers of the immortal gods, and hand down their lore to the young men.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman Antiquities, Book 15, chapter 9 |url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ammian/15*.html |access-date=16 April 2022 |website=penelope.uchicago.edu/ |quote=I think now a suitable time to describe the regions and situation of the Gauls [...] Throughout these regions men gradually grew civilised and the study of the liberal arts flourished, initiated by the Bards, the Euhages and the Druids. Now, the Bards sang to the sweet strains of the lyre the valorous deeds of famous men composed in heroic verse, but the Euhages, investigating the sublime, attempted to explain the secret laws of nature. The Druids, being loftier than the rest in intellect, and bound together in fraternal organisations, as the authority of Pythagoras determined, were elevated by their investigation of obscure and profound subjects, and scorning all things human, pronounced the soul immortal.}}</ref> [[Hippolytus of Rome]] stated that the druids "investigated to the very highest point the Pythagorean philosophy" and foretold certain events "from calculations and numbers by the Pythagorean art".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hippolytus, The Refutation of All Heresies, XXII |url=http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/classical_hippolytus.html |access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref> 

Some modern authors have suggested that Bibracte was the site of a druidic school,<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4yFAgAAQBAJ&dq=bibracte%20druid%20school&pg=PA290|title=Celts and the Classical World|chapter=Religion and the Druids |last1=Rankin |first1=David |date=January 1987 |publisher=Routledge |pages=290|isbn=9781134747214 }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Robb |first1=Graham |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqvfAAAAQBAJ&dq=druid+%22pythagorean+triangle%22&pg=PA124 |title=The Ancient Paths |date=January 2013 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=9780330531504 |pages=124–125}}</ref> as described by [[Julius Caesar]] in the ''[[Commentarii de Bello Gallico|Gallic War]]:''

{{Blockquote|“The Druids usually hold aloof from war, and do not pay war‑taxes with the rest; they are excused from military service and exempt from all liabilities. Tempted by these great rewards, many young men assemble of their own motion to receive their training; many are sent by parents and relatives. Report says that in the schools of the Druids they learn by heart a great number of verses, and therefore some persons remain twenty years under training. [...] The cardinal doctrine which they seek to teach is that souls do not die, but after death pass from one to another; and this belief, as the fear of death is thereby cast aside, they hold to be the greatest incentive to valour. Besides this, they have many discussions as touching the stars and their movement, the size of the universe and of the earth, the order of nature, the strength and the powers of the immortal gods, and hand down their lore to the young men.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Caesar/Gallic_War/6B*.html|title=Julius Caesar, Gallic War, Book VI|website=penelope.uchicago.edu/|access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref>}}

The later Aeduan capital of {{ILL|Augustodunum|fr}} was the location of the [[:fr:Écoles méniennes d'Autun|Menian schools]], which were dedicated to the study of [[Liberal arts education#History|liberal arts]] and law.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Labaune|first1=Yannick|last2=Louis|first2=Antoine |last3=Brunet-Gaston|first3=Véronique |last4=Delor Ahu|first4=Anne |last5=Garcia|first5=Jean-Pierre |last6=Hostein|first6=Anthony |last7=Kasprzyk|first7=Michel |last8=Boisleve|first8=Julien |last9=Delencre|first9=Florent|title=Une schola monumentale découverte boulevard Frédéric-Latouche à Augustodunum / Autun (Saône-et-Loire)|date=2008|journal=Gallia|volume=70|issue=2|url=https://www.academia.edu/10508296}}</ref> The schools are mentioned by [[Tacitus]] in his account of the [[Revolt of Sacrovir]]:

{{Blockquote|"Augustodunum had been seized by armed cohorts of Sacrovir, whose intention was to enlist those cadets of the great Gallic families who were receiving a liberal education at the city-schools"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/tacitus/annals/3c*.html|title=Tacitus, Annals, Book III, chapter 43|website=penelope.uchicago.edu/|access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref>}}

=== Places of worship ===
[[File:111B Mont Beuvray Bassin et fontaine.jpg|thumb|Restored Saint Pierre Fountain, 1st century BC|234x234px]]
[[File:Fontaine stpierre.JPEG|thumb|Close-up of the Saint Pierre Fountain|234x234px]]
The oppidum of Bibracte has about ten springs and five fountains dating from the Gallic or Gallo-Roman periods. The Saint Pierre Fountain was a place of worship and pilgrimage, in which coins and [[ex-voto|votive offering]]s were found.<ref name="Romero" /> At the summit of the mountain, a Celtic place of worship ([[nemeton]]) a hectare large has been exhumed, surrounded by a palisade and concentric ditches.<ref>Christian Goudineau et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois, éditions Errance, 1993, pp 90–94</ref> Under the current chapel from the 19th century, the 1988 excavations discovered a Gallo-Roman temple.<ref>Christian Goudineau et Christian Peyre, Bibracte et les Éduens, À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois, éditions Errance, 1993, pp 84–89</ref> 

=== Necropolis ===
Located below the present-day museum parking lot, the necropolis underwent archaeological excavations, with the aim of saving it, when the museum was created and the ''route départementale'' was diverted. Over a surface area of 1.5 hectares, 70 funeral enclosures, used following incineration, were found, each having an eastern entry. The crematorium was found further south. Other funerary urns were discovered at the foot of the Rebout Gate, possibly the remains of a local aristocratic family.<ref name="bibracte-2">Bibracte website, archaeological section [https://web.archive.org/web/20220120230006/https://www.bibracte.fr/index.php?langue=en]</ref> More cemeteries are presumably situated on the former site access paths, as was often the case at the time, but have not yet been excavated.

=== Basilica ===
In the area of the Convent Pasture the excavations revealed, under a large [[domus]] of the Augustan era, the presence of an exceptional public monument, which was at the time unique in Gaul: a Roman [[basilica]] with three naves and an internal [[peristyle]] with a peripheral [[ambulatory]], displaying four rows of eight columns or eight [[pilasters]]. It was connected on the east with a small square, 22 meters on a side, bordered to the north and south with [[portico]]s which were extensions of the walls of the annexes of the basilica. On the west it was connected to the main road of Bibracte with another square, 17 meters on the side. Some architectural elements have been found that attest the presence of limestone columns with [[Attic]] bases and [[Doric order|Doric]] and [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[capital (architecture)|capital]]s. These elements formed a monumental urban project of the greatest importance. These public buildings date to the period between 50 and 40&nbsp;BCE and between 35 and 25&nbsp;BCE. At this date, the basilica and the square were carefully leveled and replaced by a large private residence, doubtless in connection with the move of the Aedui capital to Autun. The basilica of Bibracte confirms the exceptional importance of the site and revealed that the Romanization of the Aedui was considerably more rapid than previously believed. The basilica of Bibracte is currently the oldest representation of Roman monumental stone architecture in non-Mediterranean Europe.<ref>M. Szabo, L. Timar, D. Szabo, La basilique de Bibracte: un témoignage de l'architecture romaine en Gaule centrale, ''Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt'', 2007, 37, 3, pp. 389–408.</ref><ref>V. Guichard, Chroniques des recherches sur le Mont Beuvray, ''RAE'', 56, 2007, pp. 127–152 [http://rae.revues.org/index1345.html#tocto2n7 lire en ligne]</ref><ref>M. Reddé, La Gaule Chevelue entre César et Auguste, dans M. Christol et D. Darde dir., ''L'expression du pouvoir au début de l'Empire. Autour de la Maison Carrée à Nîmes''. Paris, 2009, pp. 85–96 en particulier p. 91</ref><ref name="bibracte2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bibracte.fr/fr/decouvrez/archeologie/campagne-2008_02_04_04.html |title=parc archéologique et centre de recherche – Bibracte en Bourgogne (Mont Beuvray) &#124; Résumé de la dernière campagne de fouille |author=Ideal Productions |publisher=bibracte.fr |access-date=2015-06-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630081856/http://www.bibracte.fr/fr/decouvrez/archeologie/campagne-2008_02_04_04.html |archive-date=2015-06-30 }}</ref>

== A window to the Celtic world ==

=== Museum of Celtic Civilization ===
[[File:Musee de Bibracte - Batiment.jpg|thumb|Bibracte Museum of Celtic Civilization]]
The site hosts the Museum of Celtic Civilization, designed by {{ill|Pierre-Louis Faloci|fr}} and opened to the public in 1996. Pierre-Louis Faloci is also the architect of Bibracte's Center of European Archeological Research, which was opened in 1994. The architectural design corresponds to the evolution of the ages of humanities: it has a base of carved stone, walls of polished stone, and a metal roof. One of the facades, which are large picture windows, is hidden by a wall of stone (on the valley side), while that which faces the site allows free view to the visitors. The museum has few proper collections, as many of those exhibited are loaned from other museums. The [[Coligny calendar]] and the [[Gundestrup cauldron]] have both been exhibited there.

==== Permanent exhibits ====
[[File:Bibracte Musee Casque Tintignac.jpg|thumb|Helmet from the [[Tintignac]] sanctuary. ]]
The 2000 square meters of the exhibit in the museum are laid out over two stages. The first stage (and the first in the tour) recounts the discovery of the site and the place of Bibracte in the global context of the European Celtic culture. The majority of the following subjects are covered: war, the age of the oppida, Mediterranean commerce, and agriculture. The ground floor, which consists of several alcoves, recounts the life of the Aedui at Bibracte. Objects of daily life, jewelry, funereal urns, and artisanal workshops are reconstructed or exhibited there.

==== Temporary exhibits ====
[[File:Bibracte Musee Salle des maquettes.jpg|thumb|Models of different oppida in the Bibracte Museum]]
Several summer exhibits have been featured at the museum, each addressing a precise subject of the Celtic world:<ref>Anne-Marie Romero, Bibracte Archéologie d'une ville gauloise, Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006, pp 136–142</ref>
* 1995: Celtic Europe at the time of Bibracte
* 1996: History seen from above
* 1997: A look at the Celts in Slovenia
* 1998: At the border of East and West<ref name="eastwest">[[Protohistory|protohistoric]] art in [[Hungary]] in the 1st millennium BCE</ref>
* 1999: The tombs of the last Celtic aristocrats
* 2000: The Gallic druids<ref name="diviacos">Note that [[Diviciacus (Aedui)|Diviciacos]], an Aedui druid, is the only one whose name is known</ref>
* 2001: The time of the Gauls in the provinces
* 2002: On Caesar's trail
* 2003: Blacksmiths and metal merchants
* 2004: The white gold of Hallstatt
* 2005: Wine, the nectar of the Gods
* 2006: The treasures of women
* 2007: A round trip between Bibracte and Kathmandu
* 2008: Situlae, images of a vanished world
* 2009: La Tène
* 2010: The Gauls do the head

=== Research center ===
Located four kilometers from Mont Beuvray, in the commune of [[Glux-en-Glenne]] ([[Nièvre]]), is one of the most important libraries on the Celtic world. There is also an archeological depot there, the administration of the archeological park, several technical establishments, a lecture hall, and, in the village, a dining hall and several [[gîte]]s. In this center, archeologists, students, and researchers congregate from all over Europe to excavate the site of Bibracte. The research center also  accommodates the regional center for preservation of relics and archeological collections, becoming the reference center of Burgundy in this field.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Bibracte Musee Interieur domestique.jpg|Celtic house interior reconstruction
File:Bibracte chambre1.jpg|Celtic house interior reconstruction
File:Bibracte chambre2.jpg|Celtic house interior reconstruction
File:Meule à grains de Bibracte.jpg|Grain mills
File:Bibracte metier tisser.jpg|Weaving and crafts
File:Bibracte murus gallicus1.jpg|Construction of a ''murus gallicus''
File:Mont-Beuvray - 13.jpg|Excavations on Mont Beuvray
File:Mont-Beuvray - Fouilles.jpg|Excavations on Mont Beuvray
File:107 Mont Beuvray Paysage panoramique en direction du sud.jpg|View from Mont Beuvray
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Battle of Bibracte]]
*[[Oppidum]]
*[[:fr:Oppidum de Corent|Oppidum of Corent]]
*[[Gergovia]]
*[[Alesia (city)|Alesia]]
*[[Oppidum of Manching]]
*[[Vix Grave|Vix]]
*[[Glauberg]]
*[[Heuneburg]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===

==== Reference works ====
* [[Christian Goudineau]] and Christian Peyre, ''Bibracte et les Éduens, À la découverte d'un peuple gaulois, éditions Errance, 1993
* Christian Goudineau, ''Regards sur la Gaule'', éditions Errance, 1998, pp.&nbsp;65–82
* Anne-Marie Romero, ''Bibracte. Archéologie d'une ville gauloise'', Bibracte-Centre archéologique européen, 2006
* Stephan Fichtl, ''La ville celtique, Les oppida de 150av. J.-C. à 15ap. J.-C.'', éditions Errance, 2005
* K. Gruel et D. Vitali, ''L'oppidum de Bibracte. Un bilan de onze années de recherches (1984–1996)'', Gallia, 55, 1998, pp.&nbsp;1–140 [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/issue/galia_0016-4119_1998_num_55_1 Read online]
* "Bibracte, capitale des Éduens", ''L'Archéologue-Archéologie nouvelle'', 4, mars 1994, pp.&nbsp;36–45 et 6, juin 1994, pp.&nbsp;62–72

==== Old works ====
* Jacques Gabriel Bulliot, ''Fouilles du Mont-Beuvray (ancienne Bibracte) de 1867 à 1895'', Dejussieu (Autun), 2volumes, 1899
* Joseph Déchelette, ''Les fouilles du Mont-Beuvray de 1897 à 1901'', Picard (Paris), Dejussieu (Autun), 1904
* Joseph Déchelette,'' L'oppidum de Bibracte. Guide du touriste et de l'archéologue au Mont Beuvray et au Musée de l'Hôtel Rolin'', Picard (Paris), Dejussieu (Autun), 1903
* Joseph Déchelette, ''Manuel d'archéologie préhistorique, celtique et gallo-romaine'', éditions Picard, Collection Grands manuels Picard, 2000

==== Works from the collection Archeological Excavations of Bibracte ====
* Guillaumet J.-P., Szabo M. (under the direction of), ''Études sur Bibracte'', (Studies on Bibracte) Glux-en-Glenne: BIBRACTE, 2005, 313 p.,
* Paunier D., Luginbühl T., ''Les sites de la maison 1 du Parc aux Chevaux (PC 1). Des origines de l'oppidum au règne de Tibère'' (The Sites of House 1 of the Horse Park (PC1). The Origins of the Oppidum in the Reign of Tiberius), Glux-en-Glenne : Bibracte, 2004, 472 p.
* Olmer F., ''Les amphores de Bibracte, 2. Le commerce du vin chez les Eduens d'après les timbres d'amphores'', Glux-en-Glenne : Bibracte, 2003, 375 p.
* Buchsenschutz O., Guillaumet J.-P., Ralston I. (sous la direction de), ''La Porte du Rebout'', Glux-en-Glenne : Centre *Archéologique Européen du Mont Beuvray (CAE), 1999, 320 p.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bibracte}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090303093229/http://www.bibracte.fr/en/ Bibracte website] (in English)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19981205034553/http://www.athenapub.com/bibmap1.htm ''Athena Review'' article "Bibracte"]
* {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20050206041613/http://www.bibracte.fr/ Bibracte, site archéologique, centre de recherche et musée]
* [https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CMPL/issue/view/CMPL919122 El Estanque Monumentale de Bibracte] - Detailed analysis of the Bibracte Basin (in Spanish and English)
* [https://journal.equinoxpub.com/JSA/article/view/10650 The Monumental Basin of Mont Beuvray and its Possible Orientation towards the Constellation of Gemini (2019)]
* [https://www.academia.edu/15308106/Haeduorum_oppidum_novedades_sobre_el_urbanismo_de_Bibracte_Mont_Beuvray_Francia_con_J_Gran_Aymerich_S_Ru%C3%ADz_J_M_Vallejo_ Novedades sobre el urbanismo de Bibracte (2005)] (in Spanish)
* [https://jeanclaudegolvin.com/en/project/gaul/ Gaul by Jean-Claude Golvin] Illustrations of Bibracte
* [https://journals.openedition.org/gallia/5192 Water management in Bibracte (Saône-et-Loire), before and after the Roman Conquest (Borau 2020)]

{{Gallic peoples}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in the 3rd century BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:1st-century BC disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:1867 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Oppida]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Burgundy]]
[[Category:Populated places in pre-Roman Gaul]]
[[Category:Former populated places in France]]
[[Category:Aedui]]
[[Category:Museums in Saône-et-Loire]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in France]]
[[Category:Museums of ancient Rome in France]]
[[Category:Prehistoric sites in France]]