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Classified as a historical monument, the ruins of the ancient city of Aleria were first described by Prosper Mérimée after his inspection trip to Corsica in 1839. He mentions in particular the western arch and the arches of the rectangular building which adjoin this arch. Between 1955 and 1960, Jean Jehasse undertook the first major excavations on the promontory overlooking the river, marked by the discovery of the Forum and the associated quarters constituting the administrative, commercial and religious heart of the city.

The Roman town Although the Roman presence seems to have been effective as early as the end of the 3rd century BC, Aleria and its territory underwent three successive colonisations attributed to Sylla around 81 BC, to Caesar in 46 BC and to Octavian around 32 BC. Bounded by a rampart that is still visible to the south-east and by the steep natural slope to the west and north, the surface area of the town is approximately 11 hectares. The gates, traces of which have been revealed by archaeology, the morphology of the terrain or toponymy, were built to the south, west and north-east, within the rampart that surrounded the city. The city evolved until late antiquity and underwent numerous modifications and reworkings that were visible in the buildings or in the general organisation of the city's internal traffic routes. Late antiquity From an archaeological point of view, the city seems to have experienced a gradual decline from the 4th century AD onwards, without the site apparently being totally abandoned. At the end of the 6th century, a letter from Pope Gregory the Great confirmed the presence of a bishopric in Aleria. A "quarry town The period of abandonment of the town was followed by a phase of exploitation of the ruins which seems to date back to the 14th century, under the authority of the Republic of Genoa. In particular, this involved the recycling of limestone architectural elements transformed into lime or reused as such in masonry, which can be found in the surrounding houses and beyond. The traces of this exploitation are visible everywhere on the site, notably on the northern and southern pillars of the western arch, where one can observe in negative the imprints of the blocks that were used to build it. This may partly explain the relative scarcity of limestone on the site, where only a few fragments of inscriptions, ornamental marbles or statues have been found. The manufacture of lime as well as the recovery of building stone seem to have continued until the 19th century.

Aléria

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