1,600-year-old funeral pyres — with precious items for the dead — found in France
In a rural area of modern-day France, an ancient group gathered to build a funeral pyre. They put shoes on the deceased, laid the body in a coffin surrounded by precious items and lit the fire.
More than 1,600 years later, archaeologists uncovered traces of this ritual in a forgotten graveyard.
Archaeologists excavated a field in Coudoux ahead of construction work, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research said in a July 23 news release. They probably didn’t expect much since no traces from pre-modern inhabitants had been found in the area.
But when they started digging, workers uncovered grave after grave after grave.
The graves came from two cemeteries: The smaller one dated back at least 1,600 years ago and the larger one was about 1,000 years old.
The older cemetery was used from about 100 to 400 and had several funeral styles. Archaeologists uncovered 12 tombs with tile roofs still in place. A photo shows the carefully arranged slabs.
Inside the tombs were relatively well-preserved skeletons and, occasionally, pottery artifacts, other photos show.
Archaeologists also found traces of 16 funeral pyres. These 1,600-year-old cremation-style graves had shoe nails, pottery pieces and containers used to hold precious oils and perfumes. Photos show a few of the artifacts intended to accompany the deceased.
After the cremation process, the deceased’s bones were collected and buried. Archaeologists found only one tomb like this: a vase with partially burned bones.
The second graveyard was used from about 800 to 1000 and had 72 tombs, the institute said. These standardized burials showed Christian influences. The deceased was buried alone with their feet pointing toward the rising sun.
A photo shows the stone slabs used to cover this type of medieval grave.
Archaeologists suspect the 1,000-year-old cemetery continues beyond the excavation area.
The two graveyards suggest people lived in the Coudoux region during ancient times and the Middle Ages, but no corresponding ruins have been found.
Coudoux is near the southern coast of France and a roughly 465-mile drive southeast from Paris.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release and article from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap).
This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 1:23 PM with the headline "1,600-year-old funeral pyres — with precious items for the dead — found in France."
