Montans (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tɑ̃s]) is a commune in the Tarn department and Occitanie region of southern France.

Montans
Coat of arms of Montans
Location of Montans
Map
Montans is located in France
Montans
Montans
Montans is located in Occitanie
Montans
Montans
Coordinates: 43°52′02″N 1°53′10″E / 43.8672°N 1.8861°E / 43.8672; 1.8861
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentTarn
ArrondissementAlbi
CantonLes Deux Rives
IntercommunalityCA Gaillac-Graulhet
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Gilles Crouzet[1]
Area
1
32.43 km2 (12.52 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,544
 • Density48/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
81171 /81600
Elevation95–209 m (312–686 ft)
(avg. 106 m or 348 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

edit

Situated between Lisle-sur-Tarn and Gaillac, near the A68 autoroute, the village stands at the end of a terrace overlooking the River Tarn. The locality produces wine with the appellation Gaillac AOC.

Name

edit

The name of the settlement is derived from the Occitan word montant, meaning "steep".

History

edit

The site of Montans was occupied by a Gallic oppidum. Already, the Gauls were producing pottery on the site since the environment was favorable with the alluvium covering the terrace containing pockets of clay. Following the Roman occupation, the site became in the beginning of AD one of the most important centers of pottery production in the Gallo-Roman world. The pottery was exported, mostly by water down the Tarn and Garonne rivers all the way to places like Brittany and Great Britain.

Tourism

edit

L'Archéosite is a museum and documentation center, with an exhibition of pottery from Antiquity and a reconstitution of a Gallo-Roman street and shops leading to the potter's house.

On the bank of the Tarn river, Guest houses offer bedrooms and dinners, such as at the Aigue Verte for example.

 
Roman Samian ware (terra sigillata) bowl, manufactured at Montans, and photographed in the Montans 'Archeosite' museum
 
Roman pottery kiln, as reconstructed in the Montans archeosite museum in France
 
Roman fast-food shop, Pompeii style, as reconstructed in the Montans archeosite museum, in France.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.