Gérard CHAUFOURIER (†), Didier BUSSON, Catherine DUPONT THE SOURCE OF OYSTERS EATEN IN LUTETIA AT THE END OF THE AUGUSTAN PERIOD

Abstract

The study focuses on a pile of oysters found in the jardin du Luxembourg in Paris in 1972-1973, at the bottom of a pit dated to the Late Augustan period by its associated pottery. Their origin has been pinpointed to the coast of Normandy, between Luc-sur-Mer and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer in Normandy through a limestone fragment that remained attached to one of the shells. More broadly, this coast, from the Orne estuary to Grandcamp-Maisy in Calvados, seems to have been particularly favorable to this type of collection. During this period, there was an important oyster bed that provided Lutèce and its region, but also part of Gaul from the Seine valley. The transport of large quantities was by river. Far from the coast, oysters were consumed mostly cooked or served with other foods, so there was not the same requirement of freshness as today.

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