L’agglomération de Glanum (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 13) occupée dès l’Age du Bronze jusqu’au IIIème s. ap. J.-C., selon la chronologie actuellement admise, constitue une référence ornementale et architecturale en Provence, pour sa période dite « préromaine ». Pourtant, des incohérences entre chronologie (IIIème-IIème s. av. J.-C.) et son ornementation architecturale (de référence italique) subsistent. Le centre monumental de l’agglomération « préromaine » est attribué aux populations grecques de Marseille par Henri Rolland, principal fouilleur du site archéologique, alors qu’Anne Roth-Congès propose de rendre l’agglomération aux populations indigènes locales. Nous avons choisi l’étude de la zone centrale du site actuellement dégagé, pour discerner les influences ornementales de l’architecture publique et définir qui habitait la ville, qui était à l’origine de sa monumentalisation et quel était alors son statut administratif. A l’époque impériale, le forum est construit sur un remblai permettant l’aménagement d’une large plate-forme qui autorise la conservation des édifices monumentaux et leur mobilier architectural associé. Nous avons eu l’opportunité de mener une fouille archéologique de faible ampleur dans cette zone. Les études de la stratigraphie et du mobilier céramique autorisent désormais une nouvelle chronologie dénouant les incohérences d’antan. L’étude du mobilier architectural montre une large influence italique mais avec des caractéristiques propres, inspirées des décors orientaux. L’examen des vestiges conservés met en évidence le même phénomène avec une adaptation des plans classiques à la topographie de l’agglomération. Enfin, le statut de l’agglomération reste difficile à décrypter, mais il s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’administration romaine qui se met en place dans le courant du Ier s. av. J.-C. / The urban area of Glanum (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 13) inhabited from the Bronze Age to the 3rd century A.D., according to the currently assumed chronology, constitutes a standard reference for ornamentation and architecture in Provence for the period known as “ pre-Romanesque”.Yet, some inconsistencies remain between its chronology (3rd- 2nd century B.C.) and its architectural ornamentation (with Italic reference). The monumental centre of the “pre-Romanesque” town has been ascribed to Greek populations in Marseilles by Henri Rolland, the principal digger of the archaeological site, whereas Anne Roth-Congès has proposed to give the town back to local native populations.We have chosen to study the central area of the currently cleared site in order to make out the ornamental influences of public architecture and to define who had lived in the town, who was at the origin of the creation of its monuments and which administrative status it had at the period.At the imperial time, the forum was built on an embankment permitting the development of a broad platform which allowed the preservation of monumental buildings and their associated architectural furniture. We had had the opportunity to carry out a small-scale excavation on this area. A close study of the stratigraphy and the ceramic furniture allowed from now on a new chronology which untangles the inconsistencies of former days.The examination of the architectural furniture shows a large Italic influence but with characteristics of its own, inspired by oriental décor. The study of preserved remains reveals the same phenomenon with an adaptation of classical plans to the topography of the town.Finally, the status of the town remains difficult to decipher but it must have been part of the Roman administration framework which was setting up in the course of the 1st century B.C.

Town halls are the key expression of civic consciousness in the urban environment. They were constructed at a period of change for local government, when there was an urgent need for transition to an altered method of control. They enable a degree of civic access and ritual, and encapsulate important messages of local culture and heritage, in an effort to appropriate them to boost the legitimacy of the political process. The change expressed by their building can be read as a microcosm of the town; and from the town, the city and country: the majority of concerns and triumphs expressed at local level echoed those being voiced nationally, tracking flux in the narrative of social and political history. This research shows that the town hall provides the resolution of local authority change: it is a static statement of a great political transformation, easing the passage of a local authority’s development from a point of weakness and uncertainty to a position of strength. For this transition to be managed effectively, the ability of the town hall to express power is vital. This power is expressed through a broad range of source materials, including local and national sources of culture and history, and latterly, international inspiration as well. The function of the town hall’s architecture as a civic space designed for social ritual changed dramatically during the period studied, from making public involvement the design’s key driver in nineteenth century designs, to their relegation to external gathering spaces in the twentieth century. The social history of a locality was a frequent tool in the legitimisation of town halls – an effect heightened by the numerous strategies employed by their municipal designers to inculcate the suggestion of power within their construction. These could include the inclusion of redundant but impressive features, widespread demolition or the use of a culturally-significant location. This thesis describes how the narratives of power, ritual and civic access, drawn out during the construction of town halls, mirror those of contemporary society. It addresses the question of the role of town halls for urban society, and how they serve as monuments to distinct periods in the development of urban civilisation.