GALLIA ROMANA

Keiser 1968 ; Le Roy Ladurie 1995 ; Fiches/Veyrac 1996, pp. 176-178 ; Gros 1996, pp. 48-49 ; Le Roy Ladurie 2000 ; Lemerle 2005, pp. 87-88 ; Lemerle 2013-2

The passages in italics were added by Platter subsequently to the period in which the rest of the text was written (1604-1605)

« Oben auf demselbigen berg, zu aller obrist auf dem spitz, beschauwete ich den schönen, alten, römischen thurn, Tourremaigne oder Tour massive genennet, welcher innwendig hol, außwendig von den kleinen, vierecketen, gehauwenen kißling, wie man zu Augst sihet, erbauwen ist. Der berg aber ist ein lauterer felsen, wahre auch einer von den siben, so in der alten statt schier in mitte gestanden. Diser thurn ist so hart gepflasteret, daß es schier unmöglich, ettwas darvon zu brechen. Unndt kan man auß der pyramidal form, in welcher er gebauwen, woll abnemmen, daß er mechtig hoch gewesen sein muß, vielleicht ein hohe wacht da zu halten. Ettlich meinen, er seye in sechs theil abgetheilt gewesen unndt seye in der statt ringmauren gestanden, seyen derselbigen 1000 gleichförmige gewesen. »
= “On the top of this same hill, by far the highest hereabouts, I inspected the fine old Roman construction known as the 'Magne Tower' or the 'Massive Tower'. It is hollow and lavishly built with small square stones, like one can see at home in Augst. The hill is in truth a rock; it is also one of the seven hills mentioned above, formerly comprised within the town, almost in the very middle. The surface of this tower is so hard that it is almost impossible to break off anything at all and one can see from its pyramidal shape, though this is a little broken down, that the tower must have been very high; a lookout post was perhaps lodged in its upper part. Some say it had six floors and that it formed part of the city walls, which comprised of old 1000 similar towers.”