François GENTILI HIGH-STATUS SETTLEMENTS AND VILLAGES’ ROOTS: some examples and a focus on Viarmes in the Val d’Oise (7th to 18th century)

Abstract

This paper considers the role of high-status settlements in the formation, organisation and development of nucleated settlements over a long period from the 6th century to the modern era. The contribution of archaeology to this debate is examined using results from excavations carried out on large rural settlements outside present-day villages and from smaller excavations within them. The example of Viarmes demonstrates how the village’s layout can be linked to a deserted medieval seigneurial settlement and how political changes shaped the present-day village, from the rise of a family of royal officers at the end of the 13th century to the crises of the 14th and 15th centuries with their accompanying destructions and responses (defensive works and ditches).

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