A 13th-century hydraulic ore mill at the mining site of Brandes (Isère), France

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2019Author
Minvielle-Larousse, Nicolas
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Minvielle-Larousse, Nicolas;
.
(2019)
.
A 13th-century hydraulic ore mill at the mining site of Brandes (Isère), France.
Revista d'arqueologia de Ponent, 2019, extra 4, p. 59-78.
https://doi.org/10.21001/rap.2019.extra-4.4.
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This paper presents the results of the excavation of an ore grinding watermill brought
to light in Sector B 121 of the industrial quarter of the mining town of Brandes (Isère, France).
The mill, dated by dendrochronology the 13th century AD, was driven with water channelled
from the Font-Morelle spring. The head-race and spillway are examples of the opportunistic
reuse of earlier anthropic (canal and mining trench) or natural (faults and karsts) features.
The tail-race was not totally excavated. The mill-house (drywall and timber construction) is
poorly conserved and the millstone driving mechanisms are difficult to interpret. A series of
features suggest the use of a horizontal water wheel driven counterclockwise by a jet of water
guided through a flume. A large number of millstone fragments and flakes were studied in a
previous article.
Note
Anderson, T.J., Alonso, N. (eds), Tilting at Mills: The Archaeology and Geology of Mills and Milling. Revista d’Arqueologia de Ponent. Número Extra 4, 2019. ISBN: 9788491440291Is part of
Revista d'arqueologia de Ponent, 2019, extra 4, p. 59-78European research projects
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