Archéologie Médiévale (Sep 2024)
L’Anjou : la tuile au pays de l’ardoise
Abstract
At the edge of both the Armorican Massif and the Paris Basin, the Anjou region is well known for its slated roofs. Though slate deposits are numerous and well stocked, other roofing materials have been used concurrently in restricted areas. Archaeological finds from the past few decades provide a new perspective on this question. Until the end of the Middle Ages, slate was mostly used on settlements close to deposit sites. These thick slates were nailed to the frame. Curved tiles equipped with a hook, laid on steep roofs, were mostly used in the northeast and south of the region. During the Modern period, in the northern part of the region, curved tiles were made waterproof by using mortar to link them — a technique called “baugeoise”, after the Beaugé village, in the département of Maine-et-Loire. In the southern part of the region, the curved trapezoidal tile — called “canal tile” in French — laid on low-pitched roofs was mainly used (traduction Cécile Lagane).
