The archaeology of siege warfare at the gateways of Paris : training Louis XIV’s troops at the Saint-Sebastien Fort

Summary

A 28 hectare preventative excavation was conducted in 2011-2012 by the INRAP at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, on the alluvial plain of the Seine river. This excavation led to the discovery of abundant remains of the Saint-Sebastien fort, built in 1669 as an exercise ground for training the troops belonging to the military household of Louis XIV for siege warfare.This year long excavation yielded impressive fortified structures as well as encampment areas within the fortifications. This data provides us with precious information on the daily lives of soldiers and officers, on the origin and forms of supplies of the king’s army and on the social and spatial organisation of this military society where infantry, horsemen or musketeers cohabited. The study of archaeological evidence alongside cartographic, iconographic and written archives represents a rare opportunity for us to examine the rise of a professional army seen from the perspective of the training field.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Modern Archaeology of the French Atlantic Region

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-24,02