François CholletVerified account

Back to the last days of 2018. I read the book. I found S. N.'s original article from 1868. I used the Napoleonic cadastre (1812 land registry) to determine the exact location of the Blacklands. And I came here, to this empty field in the middle of nowhere.pic.twitter.com/ugwc2uDi9W

Every place has a memory. Some places *are* a memory, a record, layer after layer of history. The villa that once stood on this ground has eventually *become* the ground. Two of the most common "rocks" in this field are red tile fragments and chunks of roman cement.pic.twitter.com/jHMGd9zfgc

Here are a few examples of roof tiles, bricks, and a chunk of cement. The cement embeds small fossils that come from the sand used to make it.pic.twitter.com/vBJEgZvFmg

In less than 40 minutes on location I was able to gather a kilo or so of Gallo-Roman pottery fragments, from a range of styles. I literally just had to pick them up. The ground is made of them. I also found what appears to be a bone fragment, and part of a large animal tooth.pic.twitter.com/Fi93jpUf0N

Most of the pottery is fairly crude. But some of it features brown paint or a faded dark red coating. Some fragments bear imprinted decorative patterns (sigillata). Those were likely tableware. None of it is of any particular archeological value.pic.twitter.com/ZXWvAHSYtC