Centre des monuments nationaux

Come and visit the archaeological site of Ensérune lying ten kilometres from Béziers between the Languedoc garrigues and the shores of the Mediterranean, and discover one of the most important Gaulish villages in the South of France.

Visiting the archaeological site of Ensérune

• Three phases of settlement. An audio tour guide explains how the town evolved over time: first there are the traces of simple cob houses and a large number of store pits hollowed into the tuff; then came stone settlements with an enclosure dating from the Hellenistic period; and finally there are the Gallo-Roman remains of terraces and reservoirs. The museum houses one of the finest collections of Attica vases, arms and Gaulish ornamental objects.

• A belvedere. The site is perched on a hillside and offers unrivalled views over the lake of Montady with its star-shaped drainage, Mount Canigou, the Canal du Midi, and the Roman Via Domitia.

Understanding the archaeological site of Ensérune

• The oppidum civilisation. Ensérune has remains dating from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD. Lying at the intersection of various land and sea routes, the town was the centre of the region's rapid commercial development. Ceramics unearthed by excavations carried out since 1915 reveal the progressive intermingling of Celto-Iberian populations and Mediterranean civilisations.