During development work for Bordeaux Métropole in 2011, archaeologists from Inrap excavated a site six meters deep in the Mériadeck district, on Jean-Fleuret street. They uncovered the remains of a hide-processing workshop that was active for nearly a century. Its location beneath the water table ensured exceptional preservation of wood and leather.
Discoveries include a large basin carved into limestone and fed by an oak pipe, a vat nearly four meters long carved from a single tree trunk, and thousands of leather scraps. These findings offer valuable insights into the language and practices of the tanners of Burdigala (the ancient name for Bordeaux).
“"pieces of leather in an unexpected state of preservation, which inform us about the language and gestures of the tanners of Burdigala."
The Gallo-Roman workshop was brought to light with the participation of Milagros Navarro Caballero, research director and epigraphist at Ausonius and the CNRS, and Vanessa Elizagoyen, archaeologist at Inrap and operations manager.
