The Thousand and One Vocations of the City

The Fuller

Home to dignitaries, the city promoted a large number of vocations: merchants, artisans, independent tradesmen... Archaeological evidence shines a light on this world, which is generally ignored by Antique authors. The fuller used basins for washing textiles and fabrics. One of these workshops was located in Saint-Romain-en-Gal. It was comprised of a courtyard bordered by covered spaces. One of them houses an installation of four basins, with a total capacity of approximately 25 m3. This fullonica occupied part of a small triangular island whose far end was entirely occupied by artisanal buildings.

The Potter

At the beginning of its history, the site of Saint-Romain-en-Gal was a sort of artisanal zone. As in Lyon, potters from northern Italy took up residence near 30 BC, manufacturing fine goblets with molded decoration and a brilliant red varnished ceramic (known as samian), destined for export. Most of these products made their way to the Northern provinces: Gallia, Brittany (today Great Britain), Germania...  These items coexisted with other Gallic traditional objects, such as red-and-white-painted bowls and cooking pots in modeled ceramic.

The Plumber

Today, lead has become a symbol of pollution and illness: it is a metal that many wish to see disappear from our everyday environment. In the past, however, lead was used in large quantities. In the Roman world, lead was the most widely used and least expensive metal. Easy to melt and recycle, it was especially used for making water pipes. Lead-working was highly visible in Vienne : 70 different artisans are known, thanks to markings on the pipes.

The Piece Maker

The piece maker was a specialist in making objects from animal bones (cows, sheep...) collected from the butcher's shop. The pieces, obtained by sawing long bones, were then cut, turned, polished, and engraved to form everyday objects: playing dice, tokens, needles, pins, writing styluses for wax tablets, knife handles, trunk hardware, combs, spoons...  Next to the finished items, the examination of remainders reveals the different production steps.

The Mosaicist

We know little of the vocation of mosaicists, real « painters with stone », aside from their completed works. The production of small cubes, or tessera, did not require special machinery, but much knowledge. To render black and white, the mosaicist chose chalky stones, and for colors, different types of marble. Only very vivid colors required artificial material like colored glass. Most of the activity took place on site, working in a team. The master produced a tableau's figures, while a qualified craftsman or apprentice was entrusted with geometric motifs or simple bands, according to experience.

The Painter

During the Roman era, walls in public buildings and private houses alike were covered with plaster, often painted. The freshness and solidity of the colors came from the use of the fresco technique. Paint was applied onto a paste of chalk and fine, damp sand, and the colors fixed as it dried. Reconstruction of a mural decoration is rare, as the extremely fragile painted plaster often crumbled into the ground. It is possible to achieve this, however, by painstakingly piecing together the fragments discovered in demolition debris.

> The Signs of Romanization

> Four Centuries of History

> Commerce, a Source of Wealth

> Colorful Houses

> Areas of the House