Un castrum de l’étang de Thau (Hérault) : l’exemple de Loupian (Xe-XIIe siècles), continuité du peuplement et renouveau féodal

Work carried out by archaeologists to develop knowledge of territorial limits of the Gallo-Roman villa at Loupian was extended over a period of time thanks to the historical study of the medieval village. A more in-depth knowledge of medieval habitat, of road networks, lineages, as well as the toponymy of agricultural land areas and their products, has been achieved through the development of monographs in this district. The study of archaeological and text documents, as well as maps, has led to a detailed analysis of the territory of Loupian’s medieval «castrum». All the data was taken into account in an attempt to show the evolution of habitat between the 10th ant the 12th centuries, also how the «castrum» was formed, and agricultural districts emerged based on types of soil, and finally the beginning of the lineage in charge of the seigniorial domain, within the viscounty and the diocese of Agde.