Pech Maho

Pech Maho is a fortified pre-Roman oppidum in Sigean, Aude, southern France, occupied from the mid-6th century to the late 3rd century BC. Built on a triangular limestone hill (29m altitude, 2 hectares) beside the Berre river, it served as a Mediterranean trading emporium at the crossroads of Iberian, Celtic, and Ligurian cultures. The settlement was brutally destroyed around 218 BC -- possibly during Hannibal's passage in the Second Punic War -- evidenced by a collective cremation pyre lit on the ruins. Excavated since 1948, the site yielded significant finds on Iron Age trade.