TheBarousse is a small region of southwestern France, including the valley of the Ourse, a left tributary of theGaronne, in theHautes-Pyrénées, and the smaller valley ofSiradan.[1]
The main towns areLoures-Barousse andMauleon-Barousse.
Its name comes from the pre-LatinGascon languageBarroça, which is based on theBasque language rootibar which means 'valley' and on a variant of thetoponymic suffix-oç. Others have seen its origin in the name of theOurse river or meaningValley of the Bear.[2]
TheBasque language influence is clearly discernible in toponyms such as Ourse,Loures-Barousse,Izaourt,Sarp,Ourde,Esbareich, Sost, etc.Then theRomans left their marks with the names of estates such asAntichan andSamuran which eventually became villages.
Finally, one can hear the Gascon language in the namesCréchets (small cliff),Bramevaque (mooing cow),Troubat (found?) orCazarilh (small hamlet).
The name ofIlheu is also reminiscent of the valley of Ilhéou.
Barousse corresponds mainly to the basin of the Ourse river in the northeast of the Moun Né (2,147 m (7,044 ft)) between the valley de la Pique, to the south, and the valley of Nistos to the north. It flows into the valley of theGaronne nearBarbazan. The small valley ofSiradan, which leads directly to theGaronne from the plateau Cazarilh, is also part of the Barousse since no significant barrier separates it from the main valley. The valley is not a means of communication even if the port Balès (1755 m) can reach the valley of Oueil to the south.
About 50,000 to 60,000 years ago the valley was overrun by the glacier of theGaronne as evidenced by impressive glacial deposits. This created a narrowing at mid-valley, resulting in the lock ofTroubat.
The upper valley is covered with forests, while the central part is made up of grasslands. Within the karst landscape, there exists the gulf of Saoule in which theOurse of Ferrère torrent plunges in cascades.
Old quarries extracted limestone (dolomitic) atThèbe. To the west of mount Sacon,magnesium ore has been extracted to fuel the steel plant ofMarignac.
The water source of Saint-Nérée, upstream ofFerrère, is also subject to commercial exploitation.
The caves ofTroubat show traces of early settlements. Excavations have revealed flints, spears, a propeller, spears using antler horns, all dating from 15,000 to 8,000 years ago. Numerous remains of snails have been discovered: snails were consumed by the Pyreneans at the time.
In theMiddle Ages, Barousse broke way from theComminges to join the county of Aure and form the country of theQuatre-Vallées ("Four Valleys").