Corent is a commune in the

Puy-de-Dôme Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label= Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It sits approximately 2 miles north of

Les Martres-de-Veyre Les Martres-de-Veyre (, literally ''Les Martres of Veyre''; oc, Las Martras) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list o ...

on the side of the old volcanic Puy de Corent. In 2001 excavation began on a

Gallic Gallic is an adjective that may describe: * ancient Gaul (Latin: Gallia), roughly corresponding to the territory of modern France **pertaining to the Gauls ** Roman Gaul (1st century BC to 5th century) **Gallic Empire (260–273) ** Frankish ...

(Celtic) and later

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

Oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretch ...

found in a field atop the puy. To this date, vast quantities of land have been excavated revealing the site as a main political, religious and economic center. Corent was an important fortified Celtic

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretch ...

during the pre-Roman

La Tène period LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

(Late Iron Age), and there was already a dense fortified/walled settlement on the plateau during the Late Bronze Age

Urnfield period The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and p ...

Gallic oppidum

File:Corent oppidum 1.jpg, Reconstruction of the Corent oppidum,

. File:Mise en valeur du sanctuaire de Corent.png, Corent sanctuary. See
Digital reconstruction
File:Corent 11.jpg, Sanctuary File:Corent fosse à libations 01.JPG, Sanctuary - libation pit File:Corent 2013 (2).jpg, Excavations File:Corent 08.jpg, View from the plateau