Argentomagus: metallurgical production and arms manufacture

The archaeological research carried out on the site of the Gallo-Roman conurbation Argentomagus (department of the Indre), now called Saint-Marcel, enables us to reconstruct the ancient activities of what is now the Berry region, including those of the farmers and those of the metalworkers who lived together in this area.
The investigation, carried out using ground-based and airborne methods as well as the study of ancient texts and laboratory analyses, determined that in Argentomagus there were 242 ironsmiths and 117 settlements, and made it possible to survey the sites of the buildings and to identify a factory which made iron ingots.
Through the excavation of this factory in Latté (in the commune of Oulches) the working of the ore can be reconstructed in detail, from the crushing process up to the manufacture of the ingots.