Collections archéologiques - Vase balustre
Year 0
The site of the Fortress has been occupied for 3000 years but the rocky promontory was fortified only at the end of the Roman Empire.
The site of the Fortress has been occupied for three thousand years, as recent archaeological excavations have revealed.
We have to wait until the end of the Gallic period to learn a little about the inhabitants of the place. A Gallic warrior aristocrat then set up his residence on Fort Saint-Georges. The owner of the place was buried right in front of it, with his big sword, a privilege granted by Caesar to the veterans of his native auxiliary troops.
In Gallo-Roman times, Chinon was a small town. On the height, stone constructions or more modest buildings, made of cob, were built. Then, at the end of the Roman Empire, the promontory was fortified and became a castrum evoked by the historian Gregory of Tours.