Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Anne-Laure Brives, Périgord by birth and Reims by adoption for 15 years now, I am head of the Archeology department of the Urban Community of Grand Reims. I grew up in the countryside in the Périgord Vert then I studied in Bordeaux, so I particularly appreciate living in the territory of Grand Reims and more broadly the Marne, where beautiful heritage cities coexist. on a human scale in which it is good to live and beautiful rural landscapes which offer a diversity of panoramas in which it is particularly pleasant to stroll (and to taste good champagnes and other regional treats!).
Tell us about your journey!
I obtained a doctorate in Gallo-Roman archeology at the University of Bordeaux in 2008. Specialist in small furniture from the Roman period (which includes objects of daily life (ornament, toiletries, game pieces, crockery metal, furniture elements, etc.), tools but also weapons), I was recruited as head of archaeological collections in the Archeology department of what was at the time Reims Métropole.
Among my various missions, I have notably written numerous scientific articles but also popularization articles on the subject of small furniture and heritage collections, and I jointly piloted the archaeological exhibition Elements Terre, in search of archaeological discoveries in 2013 at the Saint-Remi Museum in Reims, which presented the results of the first 4 years of the service's existence.
Then I took on more administrative missions from 2016 by becoming deputy head of this department then head of department in 2020. The Archeology department of Grand Reims currently has around thirty agents, it is authorized by the Ministry of Culture for the carrying out of archaeological diagnostics prescribed by the State (DRAC) in its territorial jurisdiction and the execution of preventive archeology excavations for the chronological periods ranging from the Neolithic to the contemporary era on the territory of the Grand-Est Region .
Since its opening in 2009, it has carried out nearly 200 archaeological operations, covering an area of nearly 400 hectares.
Tell us what your links are with the Park!
The Grand Reims Archeology department helps to raise awareness and promote local heritage through its participation in numerous mediation and promotion actions but also through its contribution to scientific projects.
Thus, since 2022, Grand Reims has signed a partnership agreement with the Parc de la Montagne de Reims and the ONF, allowing the Archeology department to study the data acquired during a laser remote sensing (LIDAR) flight carried out on the forests of the Montagne de Reims by the Park and the ONF, in order to identify potential archaeological sites – in particular potters' and tile makers' workshops and charcoal pits – to study them and ultimately to promote them. The study of this data is also supplemented by pedestrian surveys carried out by archaeologists from Greater Reims.
What is your favorite place in Montagne de Reims?
In general, I really enjoy strolling through small typical villages and vineyards in search of vernacular heritage (vine huts, wash houses, chapels, etc.) and traditional architecture. The vernacular heritage, which was long underestimated throughout the national territory, is now the subject of very beautiful restorations and enhancements.
Otherwise I love arriving from Reims on the heights and admiring the view overlooking the vineyards as far as Epernay... in September-October it's magnificent!
Finally, my personal favorite goes to the shell cellar in Fleury-la-Rivière, the first time you enter, it’s magical!
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