Roman Road from Pons to Guimps

The Roman roads leading south east from Pons is clearly marked on maps leaving Pons by the east gate. At Avy it forked with the northern branch heading for Guimps and finally Cahors and the southern branch continuing to Bordeaux. The road to Guimps is visible throughout its length and follows an almost perfectly straight alignment from Avy to Guimps.

Pons to Avy
Pons was the only oppidum of the late La Tène period in the Santogne. Situated at the confluence of the Soute with the Seugne enclosing the natural eminence, the Dague, the oppidum was roughly triangular and belongs to the "defended" spur type. The north side of the oppidum is barred by a large rampart with a deep external ditch. This rampart (now largely destroyed by recent road works, did not close the side completely and it is thought that it ended on some easily defended natural feature. The oppidum and the rich finds in the central area under the modern city point to Pons being the most important site of the Santoni.

Mediolanum Santoniensis (Saintes) will have been founded during the Augustan reorganisation after the conquest as a "show" capital with added advantage being of a port on a tidal river. Saintes was also the terminal for one of the first roads to be built (according to Strabo) which crossed the Auvergne and linked Lyon to the coast in upper Aquitaine.

Leaving Pons, the road lies under the D142 on a straight alignment for the centre of Avy where the church probably stands on the metalling. Leaving Avy, it bifurcates with the branch to Guimps diverging to the right. When working on the extension of the airport extensive remains of circular structures were uncovered with pottery and other artefacts. These date from the middle La Tène (third to fourth century B.C.E.). A large circular enclosure with Gaulish pottery was found and dated to the first century C.E. Several apparently ritual deposits have been found on various sits around the village. These also date in part from the La Tène B. All in all the area seems to have had extensive and early occupation with the ritual sites indicating intense religious activity. The parish is bisected by the Roman road and obviously predates it.

Avy to Neuillac

Leaving Avy the road marks the boundary between parishes with late empire foundation names. The modern road at St-Richer leis on the roman road and this alignment is continued past the site of old mines on the left at les Grègoires , along a field track joining a short stretch of modern road at Chaudron. Marignac reaching down to the river Treffle has preserved one Gaulish hamlet name, Usseau from Ucel "high", perched appropriately on the highest spur overlooking the river valley. Beyond the parishes bordering the road to the north, Germanic names begin to appear. A Roman milestone was found in 1863 in a cemetery of the Middle Ages at Chadenac with the inscription,
TI CLAUDIUS DRUSI
F CAES AUG GERMANICUS,
PONT MAX TRIBUN POTEST
IMPERATOR XI P P CO S III DESIGN
XXIV M
This indicates 24 Roman Miles or Gaulish Leagues from Mediolanum (Saintes). If miles are indicated, the milestone would have been erected at 35.5 km from Saintes or 53 km if leagues are used.

In the first case the milestone would have stood, before being moved to the cemetery, at Chaudron where the road crosses the small stream that flows down from the vicinity of Chadenac church. If Chaudron can be traced to Lat. caldarium (steam bath) then the milestone would have stood outside the way station.