Côte-d'Or Tourisme - Discover the Côte-d'Or - History en Bourgogne

The time of the Gauls

There is very little archaeological evidence of prehistoric life in the Côte-d'Or.
The oldest inhabitant of the Côte-d'Or, indeed of Burgundy, would appear to be a Neanderthal, known as ''l'homme de Genay'' (Genay man).

It was in this little village near Semur-en-Auxois that a skull was discovered, dating back some 65,000 years. With the coming of the Bronze Age, the region became a trading post and a crossroads, as evidenced by the site at Blanot. In the Iron Age the population was stable and the region enjoyed remarkable prosperity and communications with the rest of Europe.

The discovery of the tomb of the princess of Vix with its famous vase provides compelling evidence of a developing society. Three main Celtic tribes shared the land between the Seine, Saône and Loire rivers.
Unfortunately the Gauls did not hold out as long as those in the Astérix stories and, in 53 BC, their leader Vercingétorix laid down his arms before Julius Caesar after the battle of Alesia (the place now known as Alise-Sainte-Reine, in the Auxois district).

This signalled the end of Celtic independence and the start of the Gallo-Roman era.
The Gauls' religious practices did not change overnight (they still worshipped the goddess Sequana and the source of the Seine) but the Pax Romana was established and the region enjoyed a great economic and cultural boom and Christianity was gradually introduced.