This necropolis, which is estimated to cover more than one hectare, was excavated in two phases. During the first phase, realized in Spring 2008 over a surface of 1,440 m2, the archaeologists were able to identify the western limit of the necropolis and to uncover 50 cremation burials. The second phase, which concerned a surface of 7,200 m2, began in Spring 2009. Around one hundred new cremation burials were discovered, as well as twenty circular stone monuments (tumuli), a large circular trench and an inhumation in a casement. Carbon 14 dates, realized during the first excavation on burned bone fragments show that the necropolis was active during the 15th and 14th centuries BC. New datings will allow us to learn more about the evolution of this site.
An exceptional Bronze Age necropolis
On line since October 9, 2009 · Updated March 15, 2010
For the first time in Ile-de-France, a large necropolis dated to the Middle Bronze Age (1500-1300 BC) has been discovered. This necropolis, with more than 100 cremations and around twenty tumuli, was revealed in 2004 during an archaeological evaluation on the Plaine du Moulin à Vent in Cesson, in the Seine-et Marne region.
An excavation in two phases
The cremations
The cremations were distributed in groups or aligned along an axis, or more rarely isolated. A few of them were placed in the centre of a tumulus. The cinerary deposits are constituted of fragments of burned bone, wood charcoal and pieces of heated loam originating from the funeral pyre. They were most often deposited in a variably shaped container (square, circle or oval) made of a perishable material that is rigid or soft (wood, leather, basketry, etc.). The skeletal remains of only six individuals were found in the ceramic recipients. The deposits were placed in simple pits that were sometimes covered with a stone of variable dimensions.
A study of the bones contributed information on some of the funerary practices of this period, such as partial selections of the bone remains. The objects associated with these remains consist of very rare fragments of bronze objects (bracelet...), which were sometimes reduced to a drop of metal due to their presence on the pyre with the body.
A study of the bones contributed information on some of the funerary practices of this period, such as partial selections of the bone remains. The objects associated with these remains consist of very rare fragments of bronze objects (bracelet...), which were sometimes reduced to a drop of metal due to their presence on the pyre with the body.
The tumuli
The diameter of these funerary monuments is 4 to 6 metres. Their perimeter is composed of blocks of unworked siliceous limestone, limestone or sandstone. These blocks, which are inclined toward the outside of the circle that they delimit, evoke the base of a low funerary mound that is primarily constituted of loam. They most often contain one cremation, and more rarely two or three.
The trench monument
A large circle formed by a trench was found at the limit of the concentration of cremations and the tumuli. The trench has a V-shaped profile, a diameter of 20.7 m and a depth of nearly two metres. The studies realized after the excavation confirm its function and earlier date relative to the rest of the site.
The inhumation in a casement
On the periphery of the site, an inhumation composed of a quadrangular monument made of vertically positioned siliceous limestone and limestone blocks was discovered. Inside, the body of an adult individual was placed on its left side with its upper and lower limbs flexed; large slabs of siliceous limestone were placed directly on top of the body. Certain taphonomic elements suggest that the body was deposited in an empty space, such as a casement.
Curation
Service régional de l'archéogie, Drac Ile-de-France
Site Director
Philippe Granchon, Inrap

See images
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Manual excavation of the periphery of a funerary monument© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Meticulous excavation of a funerary monument with a double circle© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Funerary monument with a double circle© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Manual excavation of the edges of a funerary monument© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
In a centre of a monument, when we remove the protection, we observe the upper part of a cremation© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Manual excavation of the stone covering a cremation; this latter will then be lifted out so that it can be studied in a laboratory© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Excavation in place of a cremation© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Close-up of a funerary monument with a double circle© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Excavation of the edges of a funerary monument© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
Stratigraphic profile of a trench, with a V-shaped section, of the monument© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
In the trench of the large monument, burned oak planks were uncovered. Their future study should allow archaeologists to determine their function.© Alexandre Godard, Inrap -
General view of a funerary monument, with the removal of a cremation under the tent in the background© Alexandre Godard, Inrap

