U-shaped courtyard house in Vieux-la-Romaine

The commune of is situated approximately 10 km southwest of Caen. It encompasses the site of the ancient town of Aregenua, the urban center of the Gallic Viducasses people, whose territory extended over an area of approximately 2,300 km². The peripheral district of the town where the house is located was historically the artisans' quarter and is also the place where the ruins of an entertainment building were found. The U-shaped Courtyard House, as it is known to archaeologists, is located close to the Vieux-la-Romaine Archaeological Museum, which was inaugurated in 2002, and to the , excavated in the 19th century but whose remains remain buried. == History ==

History of the ancient town Aregenua, the capital of the Viducasses, one of the peoples of Roman Gaul, was founded in the 1st century. Following a period of prosperity during the 2nd and 3rd centuries under the Severan dynasty, Following the devastation, the city was rebuilt in the early 4th century. of the 4th century and was not fortified, in contrast to the sites of Jublains or Corseul. Nevertheless, the site retained its population, and Christianity took root there during the 5th and 6th centuries. The construction is based on a building that may date from the second half of the 2nd century or the early 3rd century. Therefore, this interpretation would suggest a very late date for the house. The pottery fragments recovered from the backfill of the courtyard construction provide further evidence to support this dating hypothesis. Additionally, the discovery of a tile that was broken in the cellar and bears resemblance to those unearthed during the excavations of the inner portico of the large peristyle villa, dated to approximately 200 CE, lends further support to this conclusion. The archaeological excavations at the museum site have revealed the remains of a complex of buildings intended for worship, as well as workshops and shops. The conclusion of the house's tenure can be traced to the third quarter of the 3rd century. However, the discovery of subsequent coins may be indicative of a mere recovery of construction materials, rather than a definitive conclusion to the house's occupation. In the same area, buildings were abandoned from the 2nd century onwards. According to Pascal Vipard, this was accompanied by gradual desertion of the district, with life continuing among the abandoned buildings, which were likely in varying states of ruin. However, the district was affected by the resurfacing of the decumanus road at the end of the 3rd century. The site's occupation from the Middle Ages and during the modern era resulted in the degradation of Roman remains exposed to the elements. Permanent excavations commenced in 1988. The peripheral district of the town, where the building is located, was subjected to archaeological excavation between 1995 and 2004. The house was excavated in the 1990s by a team comprising archaeologists and individuals participating in social reintegration programs. It is the second domus to be enhanced on the site. This enhancement has stimulated renewed interest in the archaeological site and the museum, which opened in the early 2000s. which aimed to restore the floors and walls to the last state of the building, dating to the 3rd century. The virtual reconstruction of the house was completed in 2013 with two primary objectives: to attract a broad audience and to disseminate the latest work on the site. The reconstructions, which were completed after nine months of work, were posted online on the website at the end of 2014. == Description ==

General description of the remains The house has an approximate total area of 197 m², A courtyard surrounds an area whose function remains uncertain. However, the walls and floor are meticulously crafted, File:Journées archéologie 2015 Vieux maison cour en U 2.JPG|General view of the house from the courtyard. File:Journées archéologie 2015 Vieux maison cour en U 5.JPG|View of the living rooms from the courtyard. File:Journées archéologie 2015 Vieux maison cour en U 7.JPG|General view from the street. Knowledge of the building and installations The knowledge of the pre-3rd century states is incomplete, and thus they remain under study as of September 2015. for reconstructing the exterior. One hypothesis posits that the courtyard was covered with a central basin. However, there is no evidence that the floor and walls were waterproof, and preserved elements indicate that the area was designed to drain rather than store water. The alternative hypothesis suggests a courtyard with a cellar covered by a superstructure, including a floor. The walls may have been constructed of wattle and daub, from which the clay remains found during excavations and the tiles may have originated. The absence of a destruction layer, found elsewhere in the excavation, supports this hypothesis. == Interpretation issues of the house ==

Modest habitat reflecting social diversity in a small Gallo-Roman town , seen from the north. Houses serve as a reflection of the social categories and the hierarchy that existed during the Roman Empire. The Mediterranean-style house type is believed to have spread in Gaul in the mid-1st century. It is thought that most inhabitants' urban houses were located along streets and had shops on the façade facing these thoroughfares. The plots were of a greater depth than width, and the street width was a multiple of the pace, thus allowing the spaces facing the street to be utilized by merchants and artisans. The habitation is more modest than the House with the Grand Peristyle, which allows for an understanding of the different districts of the town and the social classes that inhabited the city of the Viducasses. These houses, including those of the artisan merchants, provided accommodation for the owner’s extended family, comprising slaves and free persons at his service. The rooms were adaptable, with the sparse furniture capable of being rearranged to suit multiple functions throughout the day. In Vieux, the house's cellar with the U-shaped courtyard likely had the "classic storage function." == See also ==