The Late Bronze Age Metal Artefact Hoard at Barraca, Saint-Victor-la-Coste (Gard)

In 2018, a hoard of bronze artefacts was discovered by chance during agricultural work at the Barraca site in Saint-Victor-la-Coste (Gard). A test excavation was carried out to identify the original location of the hoard and to collect other artefacts, resulting in the discovery of 42 mostly fragmentary metal objects belonging to various functional categories (weapons, ornaments, tools, foundry waste). The typological diversity of the objects points to several regions of influence (Alps, Massif Central, Pyrenees, Germany), whereas the metallurgical homogeneity suggests local production. However, isotopic analyses indicate that the copper used to make the objects came from the south-eastern Alps (Trentino-Alto Adige). This copper appears to have been brought to the south of France in the form of pick ingots, fragments of which are present in the deposit. Located at the interface between the spheres of influence of two ceramic styles (Rhine-Switzerland-Eastern France and the southern fringes of the Massif Central), this hoard illustrates the role of the Lower Rhône Valley as a cultural crossroads during the Late Bronze Age.