Archaeological excavations in Agen reveal a very well preserved kiln and a complete pottery, dating between the 1st and 3rd centuries. These rare discoveries shed light on an ancient past that is still largely unknown.
“Agen is a textbook case!” exclaims Théo Martin, archaeologist. “I like to compare it to Dax, where there is no shortage of very ancient heritage.”… He is starting to get used to working on the excavations in the city of Jasmin. In September 2024, he was called to the attention of the Primary Health Insurance Fund after the discovery of a Gallo-Roman mosaic.
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Since May 18, six archaeologists from the private company Eveha have been participating in preventive excavations on the site of the former Carnot cinema, the future of which will be debated at the municipal council on June 29. The excavations are scheduled to last until June 26.
In a certain way, it is thanks to the abandonment of the Monoprix project that traces of the Agen past were brought to light. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to go so far down into the ground. We had strong suspicions when we started digging,” says Théo. “We were almost certain to find new remains. But we still had two nice surprises.”
The first surprise is a completely preserved oven, four meters deep. “Finding one in such good condition is rare!” comments Théo. “The second surprise was when we came across the hearth of this oven, the hearth.”
You have to imagine a kind of circular plate, like a mesh. “This grid was made by hand,” explains Théo. “Thanks to the use of clay, for slow and even cooking. When heated, it consolidates and retransmits heat. The grid must have been done before cooking the clay.”
A complete ceramic
Archaeologists estimate that these finds must date from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. During the 1st century, under Emperor Augustus, the Romans colonized Gaul by building cities near rivers.
“More in-depth research will allow us to clarify the dating. It will also help us to know if they were wood-fired or bread ovens. But in Agen, we have more sources for the medieval period, while for Antiquity, we have everything to do! What we know, “The city certainly had its importance, since a theater and an amphitheater were found there, that of the Tanneries district. Not all cities necessarily have two monuments among their remains.”
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And sometimes, they come across remains of furniture in the sedimentary layers. “For example, following the kilns, we found a complete pottery. We put the pieces together like a puzzle and we see how well preserved it too is.”
“Here, we perhaps had a domestic island,” supposes Théo. “In some, we could find a craft activity in the backyard. The more we multiply the interventions, the more we will be able to document the historical phases.”
Taken together, the successive projects (installation of voluntary contribution points, heating network) promise a renewal of knowledge of the city within a few years.
The future of the old cinema will be debated in the municipal council on June 29.
A look back at the latest archaeological discoveries in Agen
The oven found on the site of the old cinema demonstrates once again that Agen is a town rich in historical remains. Over the years, several places in the city have revealed traces of bygone times, most of the time during developments thanks to the preventive archeology law of 2001. It aims to protect excavation sites as quickly as possible.
In October 2025, during excavations for the installation of voluntary contribution points, a surrounding wall dating from the 12th century was revealed at Place Lafayette.
A few weeks earlier, the same place had already revealed some rather unusual finds: human remains as well as the first foundations of the church of Saint-Caprais.
Archaeological excavations also made it possible to discover a mosaic dating from the Gallo-Roman era at the foot of the Agen health insurance fund in 2024, by Théo Martin and his colleague Tiago De Lemos Domingos. In June 2020, a Gallo-Roman street had been exhumed, revealing a world frozen underground for nearly two millennia. The titanic project was carried out within the Baudre d’Agen high school itself.
