Authon-Ébéon pyramid

Authon-Ébéon pyramid

General view of east coast.
45°51′40″N 0°27′23″W
Location	Authon-Ébéon, Charente-Maritime
Type	Pile
MH listed (1840)

The Authon-Ébéon pyramid is a substantial, or "pile", situated in Authon-Ébéon along departmental road D 129 in the Charente-Maritime region.

The severely deteriorated remnants of this presumed funerary structure are safeguarded as historical monuments, having been cataloged in 1840.

Location

Charent-Maritime funeral piles.

The tower is situated along the Roman road that connects Saintes and Poitiers,[1] which roughly aligns with the modern D 129.

A comparable structure, the Pirelonge Tower in Saint-Romain-de-Benet on a more southern segment of the same route (from Saintes to Bordeaux), is more well-preserved. The Gallo-Roman pile at Chagnon [fr], situated a few kilometers north of Ébéon and still along the ancient route, has entirely disappeared.

The frequent placement of these monuments by roadsides for visibility indicates that they were subsequently utilized as geographic markers, serving as distinctive elements within the landscape.[2]

History

The monument is also known as the "Ébéon beacon", with the term deriving from the Latin fānum, meaning "temple." It has been postulated that the monument served as a landmark for travelers on the nearby Roman road[3] or even as a marker for ocean navigators; however, these hypotheses have been refuted.[4] It is more probable that the monument is the funerary monument of a wealthy local landowner.[3]

At an unknown date, the facing stones of the pile were almost entirely removed, thereby exposing the core structure.[5]

In the 1840 list, the beacon was officially designated a historical monument.[6]

Since the late 1930s, the monument has been supported by a system of struts. In 2020, a local association and officials voiced concerns regarding the monument's condition and stability.[7]

Description

In the 21st century, the pile is a solid masonry block[8] measuring 6 meters per side, aligned with the four cardinal directions, and 16 meters high. It is probable that the pile was originally clad with a stone facing and may have been topped by a pyramid or cone.[3][9]

It seems probable that the monument was initially situated at the center of a square enclosure measuring 75 meters on each side.[9]

• 
  General view of the south side.
• 
  Masonry detail.
• 
  Supporting pillar.

See also

• List of French historic monuments protected in 1840

References

1. Lauzun 1898, p. 55
2. Gendron, Stéphane (2006). La toponymie des voies romaines et médiévales : les mots des routes anciennes [The toponymy of Roman and medieval roads: the words of ancient roads] (in French). Éditions Errance. p. 153. ISBN 2-8777-2332-1.
3. "Les Piles romaines de Pirelonge, de Chagnon et d'Ébéon" [The Roman Piles of Pirelonge, Chagnon and Ébéon]. mediolanum-santonum.fr (in French). Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
4. "Questions-réponses" [Q&A]. Bulletin de la Société des archives historiques. Revue de la Saintonge et de l'Aunis (in French). 5: 48. 1889–1920. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023.
5. Creissen 2019, p. 12
6. "Notice no PA00104608". Open heritage platform, Mérimée database, French Ministry of Culture. (in French). Archived from the original on July 20, 2024.
7. Seurin, Thibault (December 18, 2020). "Charente-Maritime : cette pile antique a besoin de travaux urgents" [Charente-Maritime: this ancient pile needs urgent work]. SudOuest.fr (in French). Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
8. Coulon, Gérard (2006). Les Gallo-Romains [Gallo-Romans]. Civilisations et cultures (in French). Paris: Errance. p. 208. ISBN 2-8777-2331-3.
9. Maurin 1999, p. 92

Bibliography

• Creissen, Thomas (2019). "Les mausolées de la fin de l'Antiquité au Moyen Âge central : entre gestion d'un héritage et genèse de nouveaux modèles" [Mausoleums from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages: between managing a legacy and creating new models]. Gallia (in French). LXXVI (1): 257–274. doi:10.4000/gallia.4560.
• Lauzun, Philippe (1898). "Inventaire général des piles gallo-romaines du sud-ouest de la France et plus particulièrement du département du Gers" [General inventory of Gallo-Roman piers in south-west France, particularly in the Gers department]. Bulletin Monumental (in French). LXIII. Caen: Henri Delesques imprimeur-éditeur: 5–68. doi:10.3406/bulmo.1898.11144.
• Maurin, Louis (1999). La Charente-Maritime [Charente-Maritime]. Carte archéologique de la Gaule (no 17/1) (in French). Paris: Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres. ISBN 978-2-8775-4061-2.

External links

• Architectural source: Mérimée
• "Fanal d'Ébéon" [Ébéon lantern] (in French). Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.