However, its peak was short-lived, and the town began to decline as early as the following century, making Anderitum one of the "ephemeral capitals" of Roman Gaul.

[8][9] The milestone bears the inscription: "Under the reign of Emperor Caesar Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus, invincible, pious, fortunate, Augustus, high priest, endowed with tribunician power, father of the country, four times consul, the city of the Gabales".

[T 1] The town of Anderitum is listed on the Peutinger map between the stations of Condate (Pont de Vabres west of Alleyras) to the northeast and Ad Silanum (Puech Crémat-Bas south of Nasbinals) to the southwest, along the road connecting Reuessione (Ruessium/Saint-Paulien) to Segoduni (Segodunum/Rodez).

It was not a significant oppidum that could function as a "capital",[N 1] but rather a collection of dispersed settlements on the surrounding heights, including one on Barry Hill to the south, likely of a cultic nature.

[T 6] The Roman establishment of Anderitum as a planned town probably occurred during the reign of Augustus, around 15 BC, which was a common practice for many civitas capitals at that time.

[F 8] A few years later, at the beginning of our era, a part of the urban grid was established, including the civic center (forum, curia), private homes, and drainage operations to reclaim a marshy area on the left bank of the Triboulin.

This period saw the enhancement of the street network, the construction of the first public buildings (western baths), and the development of numerous private residences.

These fires, likely accidental and unrelated to "migration period" (which were never attested in Anderitum, contrary to claims by 19th-century scholars[16]), damaged or destroyed buildings, most of which were not rebuilt or were restored more modestly.

[T 11] This trend was also evident in peri-urban settlements: the storage room of a domus in the Barry area, destroyed (also by fire) in the early 2nd century, was not rebuilt.

The lower part, near the stream, saw urban abandonment from the 6th century onwards, with archaeological evidence suggesting a shift to agricultural activity, indicated by the presence of dark soils.

[T 13] The foundation of the Augustan town, the orthogonal plan of its monumental center, and its public buildings reflect a strong influence of Latin customs.

[C 7] The gradual evolution of domestic habits, such as food, tableware, hygiene, and clothing, suggests that "Gallic" traditions persisted for a significant period.

A "Roman" lifestyle adoption, including nailed-soled shoes, clothing fastened with fibulae, use of oil lamps, three-legged cooking pots, kitchen lids, and beef consumption, only became prevalent in the second half of the 1st century.

[C 7] However, the Romanization of Anderitum did not prevent it from losing its status as a civitas capital, like about forty others out of approximately sixty,[21] as a result of Augustus's administrative organization of Gaul.

This discovery, which seemed to be part of a systematic search for reused blocks to repair buildings, indicates the enduring memory of a monumental town that could have served as a quarry.

[T 16][T 17] The development of the two banks of the Triboulin ("Javols quays") includes large granite blocks arranged in at least four superimposed rows, channeling the stream to a width of 11 meters in the southeastern part of the settlement.

Although the discovered remains are rare, the harsh winters of Aubrac likely necessitated the installation of hypocaust heating or wall fireplaces in rooms of dwellings that would not require them in other climates.

[C 14] The walls of private dwellings typically consist of two facings in small granite blocks with, occasionally, beds of tiles (opus mixtum) enclosing a very thin Roman concrete.

At the intersection of a cardo and a decumanus, south of the current cemetery, there is a large complex consisting of three or four buildings, some terraced, arranged around a central courtyard.

[F 21] In the northern part of a densely urbanized area, there is a large house with numerous comfort facilities including several ovens, a fireplace, a complex water drainage, and evacuation system.

The initial construction phase appears to date back to the Augustan period, followed by several renovations, possibly due to a fire in the 3rd century.

However, on Barry Hill to the south of the site, a La Tène structure followed by votive deposits from the 1st century BC may indicate the presence of a sanctuary in the vicinity.

[37] Numerous terracotta figurines, predominantly portraying Venus or mother goddesses, including one well-preserved figure nursing two children, were likely produced locally or imported from the Iberian Peninsula between the 1st and early 3rd centuries.

[T 29] A cippus dedicated to the memory of "Albinus Senator" is believed to originate from Anderitum, although the exact discovery site and dating remain unknown.

[39] Woodworking, evidenced by tools, utensils, carving waste, and the Silvanus-Sucellus statue,[T 27] likely plays a significant role in the city's economy.

Sandstone from Margeride, schist from the Cévennes, limestone from the Causses, porphyries from Djebel Dokhan (Hurghada region, Egypt) or the Peloponnese (Greece), Giallo antico from Chemtou (Tunisia), marbles from Synnada (Turkey), Carrara (Italy), or Morvan were among the materials used.

Pine nuts were consumed along with meats including beef, mutton, goat, pork, and poultry, although the proportion of local production is uncertain.

[46] This ambition was made possible thanks to the work done by the University of Tours (UMR CITERES) in designing a 3D model of the ancient city and acquiring an aerial view from the company L'avion Jaune.

[48][49][50] The device chosen for the project is a smartphone paired with the Samsung Smart Gear augmented reality headset, which was well received by the public during the design phase.

The application was launched in November 2017 and showcased at the Louvre Carousel in Paris during the International Heritage Days by the project team from the general services of the Occitanie-Pyrénées Méditerranée Region.