17 September 2016 – Bibracte
Day 11. Our first real ‘excursion’ – to the Gaulish site of Bibracte on Mont Beuvray in Burgundy. Abandoned after the Roman conquest of Gaul (in favor of the town of Autun, which some scholars had believed to be the site of the battle of Bibracte – where Caesar defeated the Helvetii in 58 BCE), it became a sort of wonderland for archaeologists – particularly those interested in Celtic fortifications. It could have been the constant mizzle, but the entire site had that eerie, timeless feel some places acquire. It reminded me, in many ways, of Butrint in southeast Albania – which had the same feeling – or Sounion, but I think that might have been because I had just read about that promontory in Hume.
If you get a chance to so to Bibracte, do sign up to try the ‘Gaulish’ meal – some of the best cabbage and mustard I’ve ever enjoyed.