Vallus The Teeth of the Earth

At the Rochefort archaeopark in Malagne, Belgium, visitors can participate in workshops to discover first-hand how ancient Gallo-Roman farmers raised livestock and cultivated crops. The documentary film Vallus- The Teeth of the Earth reveals just how much things have – or haven’t – changed over the past 2,000 years. The film introduces audiences to this unique archaeopark, built around the remains of one of the largest and most important Roman villas in Northern Gaul. The filmmakers document how the changing knowledge available to archaeologists is helping them make better guesses about what agricultural life was like way back in the second century A.D. By no means a dry, scholarly presentation, the film offers a treat for audiences, who get to follow the step-by-step practical experiments the archaeologists conducted which show the clear effects of current climate change.