Les bergeries romaines de la Crau d'Arles. Les origines de la transhumance en Provence

The discovery of several dozen sheep-folds from the roman period in the plains of the Crau, under the jurisdiction of the city of Arles, lets in the possibility for the first time of undertaking the study of roman sheep-farming on the basis of structural remains. The distribution of various structures (sheep-folds, sheds, wells, and ovens assembled into more or less dense groups) and the chronology of occupation suggest an organization of the territory and a systematic utilization in the plains since the foundation of the colony of Arles, until the 4 /5th century A.D. The wide variety of discoveries offers an impression of the daily life of shepherds and of the importance of sheep breeding in an inhospitable plain, during summertime, which makes transhumance necessary.