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

What happened here exactly? How did these people die? Who killed them? When did it happen? Some of the bricks and pot fragments bear the marks of an intense fire. Most likely, the 80 men and women were barricaded in the main building, which was set ablaze by barbarian raiders.pic.twitter.com/NJDXc60kRm