Oppidum Mont Vully, Celtic fortification at Mont Vully, Switzerland
Oppidum Mont Vully is a Celtic fortified settlement spanning across the mountaintop, surrounded by defensive walls with gateways that controlled entry to the site. The structures were built from stone blocks and wooden posts arranged to create an effective defensive system.
The Celtic Helvetii people built this fortified settlement during the late Iron Age and occupied it for decades before abandoning it when they migrated westward. This departure marked the end of the site's use as a major settlement.
The artifacts found here show how Celtic people lived and traded: pottery, jewelry, and coins reveal their daily routines and connections to distant places. These objects tell the story of a thriving community that reached far beyond the mountaintop.
The site sits on a mountaintop and is accessible by foot or mountain bike along established trails that wind through the area. A reconstructed section of the southern gateway allows visitors to understand how the fortification originally looked.
The rampart walls were built using a specialized construction method that combined stone and wood in a way that allowed them to support each other structurally. This building approach made the walls more resistant to damage than solid stone construction alone.
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