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Neolithic enclosures with pseudo-ditches: Danubian ceremonial monuments in the Alsace Plain

The "Recherches archéologiques" collection publishes, for the scientific community, monographs and syntheses resulting from preventive archeology operations carried out by Inrap. These works are distinguished by the major character of the sites studied, their innovative aspect in methodological or scientific terms, or the size of the territory taken into account.
The recent discovery of seven Neolithic sites in the Alsace Plain with “Rosheim” enclosures has renewed the interpretation of these extensive complexes dated to the 5th millennium BC. This very particular type of enclosure, whose eponymous site is located about twenty kilometres from Strasbourg, is made up of discontinuous ditches, following a pre-established layout, which are progressively filled in. New analysis of these monuments is accompanied by a reflection on their function (ceremonial or defensive), enabling us to provide a coherent account of the origin and important geographical extension of these enclosures, which are found in numerous cultural groups over more than two millennia of European history, from Poland to England and from Bavaria to Denmark.

Philippe Lefranc is an archaeologist at Inrap, attached to the UMR 7044 Archimède.
Authors: Rose-Marie Arbogast (CNRS, UMR 7044 Archimède), Christophe Croutsch (Alsace Archéologie, UMR 7044 Archimède), Anthony Denaire (University of Bourgogne, UMR 6298 ArTeHis), Émilie Guthmann (CNRS, UMR 7044 Archimède), Bertrand Perrin (Antéa-Archéologie, UMR 7044 Archimède).
Full text on HAL
Philippe Lefranc (dir.), Rose-Marie Arbogast, Christophe Croutsch, Anthony Denaire, Émilie Guthmann, et al.. - Les enceintes néolithiques à pseudo-fossé : Monuments cérémoniels danubiens dans la plaine d’Alsace. Inrap. CNRS Éditions, 260 p., 2019, Recherches archéologiques 15, 978-2-271-12451-7. (hal-02295757).
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