The Ancient Foundation

Before History

Long before written records, the Loire Valley attracted human settlement. Archaeological evidence from sites like the Grand-Pressigny reveals sophisticated Neolithic communities who recognized the valley's potential. These early inhabitants, working 5,000 years ago, created a prehistoric industrial center producing flint tools exported across Europe. Their workshops, discovered intact with thousands of stone flakes marking production areas, show organized labor and long-distance trade networks that presage the valley's later commercial importance.

The discovery of the "Dame de Sublaines," a 4,500-year-old burial of a woman with rich grave goods including Baltic amber and Mediterranean shells, challenges assumptions about prehistoric society. Her prominent burial suggests women held significant status, while the exotic materials indicate the Loire Valley sat at the intersection of continental trade routes from earliest times.

Roman Loire

The Romans understood the Loire's strategic value, establishing cities that remain important today: Tours (Caesarodunum), Orléans (Cenabum), and Angers (Juliomagus). They didn't merely occupy; they transformed the landscape. Roman engineering created the first reliable bridges, established road networks still underlying modern routes, and introduced viticulture techniques that established the Loire Valley's wine tradition.

Recent excavations at Fondettes revealed a complete Roman villa with underfloor heating, elaborate mosaics, and evidence of glass production. The site's most intriguing discovery was a school room with alphabet exercises scratched on tiles, showing that Roman education extended to provincial estates. A child's writing practice from 2,000 years ago reminds us that human aspirations for learning transcend eras.

The Romans also brought religious transformation. The old Celtic sacred sites became Roman temples, which in turn became Christian churches. At Tours, Saint Martin built his church atop a Roman temple to Apollo, which itself overlay a Celtic shrine. This layering of beliefs, each building upon but not entirely erasing what came before, characterizes the Loire Valley's approach to change throughout history.