Musée Archéologique de l’Oise – MAO

Opened in 2011, the Musée archéologique de l'Oise is located as close as possible to the Vendeuil-Caply archaeological site, 300 m from the Gallo-Roman theater. Today, the theater is the only visible evidence of an ancient agglomeration with a high density of habitats and monuments (theaters, temples, fanum, military camp, esplanades). Every year, programmed excavations on the site enrich our knowledge of it. In 2022, the archaeological department of the Communauté de Communes de l'Oise Picarde uncovered a temple, and in 2023 a partially paved esplanade with a water drainage system.
From February 24 to September 22, 2024, the museum presents a new temporary exhibition: La Dolce villa, Vivre à la campagne dans les provinces romaines. What did the Roman countryside of northern Gaul look like? How did villas, which were agricultural and commercial enterprises, develop from the 1st century onwards, forming an important network to supply the towns? And above all, how did people live in these villas? These are just some of the questions that will guide visitors as they stroll through the different spaces of a villa, from room to room, right up to the garden. They'll discover the ways in which people lived, ate, bathed and even prayed at the time. The exhibition features a fun trail for families, tactile games for all, and an olfactory discovery of garden scents, to immerse visitors in the atmosphere of this very special way of life.