Backtrack. Archaeological discoveries along the A355

For the first time, this exhibition presents to the public the discoveries made during the preventive archaeological operations carried out prior to the motorway developments on Strasbourg's Western Bypass. It is the result of a partnership between the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles du Grand Est - service régional de l'archéologie and the Musée Archéologique de Strasbourg. It has been awarded the Exhibition label of national interest by the Ministry of Culture.

At the end of 2010, 24 kilometres of motorway were built to the west of Strasbourg. As with any project of this scale, and in accordance with the French Heritage Code, it was necessary to check for the presence of archaeological remains in the construction area and, if necessary, to study them.

From September 2016 to August 2019, substantial resources were deployed on prescription of the State. Nearly 200 archaeologists, attached to five preventive archaeology operators (Inrap, Archéologie Alsace, ANTEA-Archéologie, Archeodonum and Éveha) were mobilised for the 34 excavations spread along the route. In total, 380 hectares were the subject of a diagnostic and 62.5 hectares of an excavation.

The main advantage of an archaeological operation of this kind is that it enables us to observe an area continuously and comprehensively . These excavations have made it possible to discover, uncover and document the long, dense and complex history of this area. Archaeologists have identified traces of more than 200 human occupations from a wide range of periods, from the Middle Palaeolithic to the First World War. 

The exhibition ‘Un passé incontournable’ looks at these discoveries from a number of different angles: from the formation and evolution of landscapes in the Palaeolithic to the intimacy of the graves of men, women and children. There is a wealth of previously unpublished evidence. They are profoundly renewing our knowledge and understanding of past societies.

At the same time, the public is invited to discover the new methods and technologies that are helping archaeologists to gain a better understanding of these societies, their environments and the changing climate on the Rhine plain.

The exhibition is accompanied by a publication presenting all the discoveries and results of the excavations.

Curator: Bertrand Béhague, research engineer at the regional archaeology department of the Direction régionale des affaires culturelles du Grand Est (Ministry of Culture) and Mathilde Villette then Quentin Richard, Archaeological Museum of Strasbourg

An exhibition organised by the DRAC Grand Est and the Museums of the City of Strasbourg.