Ruines romaines d'Alauna

About

This remarkable city flourished for 350 years, from the end of the 1st century BC to the end of the 3rd century AD. At its peak, it covered an area of 45 hectares and was home to 3 to 4,000 inhabitants. The main ancient roads served Alauna, making it a central city in the North Cotentin region. The town appeared at the center of a traffic hub linked by roads and paths to Cherbourg, Coutances as far as Rennes, Portbail, the Val de Saire (Fermanville, Barfleur and Saint-Vaast-La-Hougue) and Rouen. Proposed reconstruction of Alauna circa 2nd century (watercolor by Dominique Lepoittevin). Proposed reconstruction of Alauna around the 2nd century. The city had a rigorous geometric layout, centered around two major roads. Its development was structured around the forum (administrative and political center) and the sanctuary, located at the heart of the city. There were also thermal baths and domus (large stately homes), all organized around a grid of streets covering some twenty hectares. Drag bowl, Lezoux sigillated ceramic type found at AlaunaCeramic Drag bowl The town?s main activities were metallurgy and crafts, in particular iron and bronze working. As the city expanded, large m

From the tourism feed, updated 6 Nov 2026 by OT Cotentin. Rules can differ by commune, so check the signs on site.