The Colombier marsh in Varennes-sur-Seine. Approaches to respecting and enhancing wetlands between the 16th and the 18th centuries
The Colombier farmstead in Varennes-sur-Seine was created ex nihilo in 1506, in a wetland of the Seine river valley. To this day, it constitutes a unique illustration of an interdisciplinary approach to the archeology of a landscape of the recent past. Archaeological, paleoenvironmental, historical and archaeo-geographical data contribute to a broader understanding of this marsh and wet meadow landscape, handed down and enhanced over the course of two centuries. Though recognized as a complete environment in itself, it has also been analyzed in terms of its role as an area of human activity. This approach has contributed to an improved social interpretation of the archaeology of the site, with the demonstration that, in the early XVIth century, its role was far from that of being an area to which people were simply relegated. Artefacts, ecofacts and geofacts show that this wetland environment was experienced and perceived as a key source of social distinction by a small rural elite in pursuit of social empowerment, at the cusp of the transition between the medieval and modern worlds.