Communication routes - Antiquity - Prehistory and history - An exceptional heritage

There were two main routes: the Régordane and the Coudoulous road. The first linked Languedoc to the Massif Central. The second linked the Régordane to Mont Lozère.

The Régordane

The Régordane, whose existence is attested by texts as early as the 12th century, is the Cévenol section of the Route de France, which linked the Ile-de-France region to Lower Languedoc. The Régordane is not mentioned in any text or road map of Antiquity. Its existence during the Gallo-Roman period is therefore not proven.
However, the route had to exist at the time since it followed a natural axis of incursion: the Gardon valley. In Antiquity, this valley connected eastern Languedoc and the lower Rhone valley with the Massif Central, passing through the territory of the Gabales (Gévaudan). Remains are visible at Concoules (Lozère) and Génolhac (Gard).

The Coudoulous road

This access road from Portes to the Col de la Croix-de-Berthel (Saint-Maurice-de-Ventalon) connected the Régordane to the Languedoc draille (track for migrating livestock) on the Mont Lozère. Several discoveries seem to prove its ancient origin, including Latin graffiti that can be seen on rock faces overlooking the road (Collet-de-Dèze).
Its economic importance in Gallo-Roman times is self-evident. Its actual route must be related to the mines on Mont Lozère. The route runs through the Col de la Croix-de-Berthel, where excavations carried out in the 1980s unearthed tilers’ ovens and a metal workshop. It is possible that a small town was strategically situated here on the Coudoulous road.

Channel Coudoulous

Geleisestrasse of Coudoulous