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Since XVIth century, passionate archaeologist take turns, continuously, to extricate and study the remains that lie beneath the soil or that hide in the old walls of the town.

Indeed it was during the Renaissance that really started archeology. This curiosity and passion for ancient civilizations, Greeks then Romans, found a striking illustration in Narbonne, when it was decided that the new fortifications, finished under François Ier, should glorify the rich Roman past of the town. It was during that time that were systematically placed at the sight of all, “en couronnement des courtines” and around doors, the countless bas-reliefs and ancient inscriptions that Narbonne counted and which have nowadays a big place in the interest of the collections of the Archaeological and Lapidary Museum.

This first « open door » museum of the town, that Prosper Mérimée had not fail to mention, then inspector of Historical Monuments, gave rise to the first studies and the first crazes from the passionate scholars, the famous antiquarian as they were called before, who wrote, throughout XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries, studies and precious inventories and which were part of the first private collections, of lapidary items or furniture. This movement never failed since then. After the Revolution, realizing that the confiscated historical heritage was also the common good to the entire nation, everybody got aware of the necessity of keeping and documenting the testimonies of the past. It is in this mood that was created in Narbonne, around the strong personality of Paul Tournal, one of the first scientific societies in our country: The Archaeological and Literary Committee of Narbonne. Still active nowadays, this venerable institution has seen in the meantime its action supported and taken over by the State.

The local initiatives, combining with the support of the public authority have been marked by successive legislation acts, and the result was, in 2001, the law relating to preventive archeology, which improves and adapt to the current situation, the legal measures taken so far. Now, town and country planners have to (groups, companies...) as well as individuals, proceed with an archaeological diagnosis and finance it , before each construction or building site likely to affect the basement. This work, which consists in assessing the potential of a given site, can be done, either by I.N.R.A.P. (the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research), organization with a semi-public status of trained employed archaeologists, or by archeological services created by local authorities approved by the State. This is not yeat the case in Narbonne, where the State and the local associations compensate for the absence of municipal archaeological service.

Once the analysis is done and depending on the importance of the remains discovered, the building works can start or are delayed because of an additional archeological search was advocated. In most cases, the planned constructions are completed. This is what happened recently, with the archeological operation on a buried ark and a stack of the pont des Marchands (link). Following the archeological diagnosis, the remains were protected upon request of the Municipality, the site B.T.P. has started and is now completed.

Since 2002, private companies, having however received approval from the State, can also make archaeological excavations. This new arrangement depicts a double movement which aims to, in archeology or as in other areas, decentralize this activity and make it, in some extent, competitive.

All these contributors to the archeology of Narbonne, that you may meet in town or in its outskirts, allow the local memory to be more legible, to put in place progressively the archeological map of Narbonne and improve the access for the public to the renewed collections of the museums in Narbonne.

In this context, the Town has a S.I.G. (Geographical Information System), local archeological and computerized map which changes all the time, and plans to create a modern museum, about the Roman civilization in which Narbonne (Colonia Narbo Martius) played a key role.