The great Gallic league. J Dassié. Page 4.
History:
Bourguignon d' Anville (1760)
The oldest documents treating of metric ways of this area goup to the XVIIIe century. In particular, d'Anville studies the genesis of the Gallic league starting from various feet. Then it describes the localization of the ancient names of the routes, attempting to give the metric relations (out of measuring apparatuses) with the close cities. It admits one league of 1134 "toises" (2211 m), but the little of precision of the means used (" the opening of the compass gives me, on a handwritten card... ") cannot provide satisfactory results.
Le Royer d'Artezet de la Sauvagère (1770)
De la Sauvagère (Bib.) fact very exactly the comparative study between the Route of Antonin and the Table of Peutinger on the way of Blaye to Saintes, while trying to locate Tamnum , Lamnum and Novioregum . It is the initiator of this method of which others will be prevailed thereafter.
It accuses already the errors of copyists and admits the value of the Gallic league with 1141 "toises" (2225 m). It does not mention higher values. Its deductions are unfortunately erroneous : it locates Tamnum with Talmont and Novioregum with the "Terrier de Toulon". They were probably established starting from the map of Cassini, or even among that of Belleyme, even if the publication of these documents were not completed, it was already largely committed and the statements finished for a long time.
Pistollet de Saint-Ferjeux (1852)
It is the first to evoke a unit larger than the league of 1 thousand and half mile. It evaluated the league with 2415 meters, by deferring on the ground measurements of the Routes. Rejection of this value by the Commission de Topographie de la Gaule in 1865.
Aurès (1865)
Author of 14 memories on the league of 2436 meters. All rejected by the Commission de Topographie de la Gaule, in 1865.
Lièvre (1893)
The existence of the great gallic league is really shown by A-F Lièvre (Bib.) who describes the way from Tours to Poitiers, by Thilouze, St Epain, Port de Piles, Cénon, the Clain valley and Poitiers. The Table de Peutinger indicates XLII and Lièvre written (p 33) :
" From Tours to Poitiers, there are according to T of P. 42 leagues which, to 2436 m, make 102,312 km. Measured on the line that we have just followed, the distance is of 102,3 km ".
Then Mr. Lièvre (p 121) comments on the results of his work:
" In the study that we have just made and or we had so many measurings to operate, figures to be controlled so much, we admitted, with Mr. Aurès and contrary to the opinion of the Commission de Topographie des Gaules , which the Gallic league is equivalent to 2436 meters. With the data of the Table of Peutinger and Route of Antonin and milliary columns, we compared measures taken, not on map on a small scale, but on that of the military map to the 80000 e ; not in only once and as with flight of bird, station to another, but by small sections, while following as rigorously as possible the layout of the path ".
It is the first to use a cartographic support of a great technical rigour and a very high degree of accuracy: the military map known as "Carte d'Etat-major" to the 1/80000 e . Resuming partially work of Mr. Lièvre, by way of checking, on IGN maps to the 1/25000 e , we found very exactly its conclusions for the layout concerned.
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