Ollioules “Quartier Quiez 2”: a Late Antiquity necropolis with a sea view—abridged version
p. 179-187
Résumés
The 2019 excavation of a Late Antiquity settlement in Ollioules, in the Var region of France, uncovered a funerary complex comprising sixty-two individuals buried in thirty tombs. There were signs that many of the tombs had been reopened, the bodies inside had been reduced, and several successive phases of inhumation had taken place. A great variability in the funerary architecture was observed. The different studies show that the deceased were individuals, probably of low social status, who had carried out various activities since their youth and who had experienced numerous episodes of deficiency.
La fouille en 2019 d’une occupation de la fin de l’Antiquité à Ollioules dans le Var a permis la mise au jour d’un ensemble funéraire regroupant 62 individus inhumés dans 30 sépultures. Nombre d’entre elles témoignent d’une réouverture et de réductions de corps et de plusieurs phases d’inhumations successives. Une très grande variabilité dans les architectures funéraires a été observée à la fouille. Les différentes études montrent qu’il s’agit d’une population au statut social probablement peu élevé ayant exercé différentes activités depuis leur plus jeune âge et ayant connu de nombreux épisodes de stress carentiels durant leur vie.
Entrées d’index
Mots-clés : Antiquité tardive, espace funéraire, inhumation, réduction de corps, architecture funéraire, pratique funéraire, dépôt secondaire
Keywords : Late Antiquity, funerary area, inhumation, body reduction, funerary architecture, funerary practice, secondary deposit
Note de l’éditeur
This article is not a translation but an abridged version of the French article “Ollioules « Quartier Quiez 2 » : une nécropole tardo-antique avec vue sur la mer”. Translated and edited by Cadenza Academic Translations.
Texte intégral
1The excavation in 2019 of a settlement dated to Late Antiquity in Ollioules, Var (France), revealed a funerary complex consisting of two groups of inhumations containing a total of 62 individuals (Bosc-Zanardo 2022).
2The tombs are split between two nearby geographical areas surrounding a large looter’s pit dug later. At least four phases have been identified, but the precise evolution and chronology of the areas have yet to be fully determined. Numerous burials were reopened and contain individuals who have been moved into a secondary position.
3Half the individuals were adults, including 11 women and nine men; it was impossible to determine the age of the rest. The paleopathological study of the individuals found in primary position, or whose remains could be identified with certainty, revealed a profile suggesting a community of laborers, both men and women as well as some young individuals, with signs of a possible sexual division of labour. Although at least one individual enjoyed a rich diet, at least for a while, others experienced difficult times and suffered severe deficiencies, particularly nutritional. There is, however, no firm evidence of real inequality or of different groups or social classes.
4The position of the bodies is fairly standard: individuals are placed on their back, with the lower limbs stretched out and the upper limbs flexed or lying along the body. There were no grave goods in the burials. There was, however, an extremely varied range of funerary architecture: simple pits, fitted covers (wooden planks, tiles, lauze roofing tiles), fitted bases, rigid containers of permanent, nonpermanent, or mixed materials (gables, stone or lauze coffrage, wood coffrage, mixed coffrage, amphorae), sometimes held in place by wedges. The structures are often incomplete, probably because of the successive reopening of the tombs. Other noteworthy aspects include the covering of the faces of certain individuals, the differential treatment of certain secondary deposits, and the placement, in two instances, of a craniofacial block that had been moved and placed upside down next to the cranium of an individual buried later, as also seen in Malbosc (Blaizot et al. 2008: 74).
5The initial studies of this population buried in Late Antiquity reveal individuals, probably of low social status, who performed various activities from a very young age and experienced numerous episodes of stress caused by deficiencies. However, there are several ongoing studies that may provide more answers thanks to the DNA analysis being carried out as part of the French National Research Agency (ANR) ANCESTRA project.
Bibliographie
Blaizot et al. 2008 Blaizot F., Raux S., Bonnet C., Henry E., Forest V., Ecard P., Jorda C., Macabeo G., L’ensemble funéraire rural de Malbosc (Montpellier, Hérault), pratiques funéraires de l’Antiquité tardive, in Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, 4, p. 53-99.
Bosc-Zanardo 2022 Bosc-Zanardo B. (Ed), Ollioules, Quartier Quiez (Var), Final Operational Report, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, SRA, 1856 p. (Archeodunum).
Auteurs
Archeodunum SAS, Colomiers, France
Archeodunum SAS, Colomiers, France
CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, EFS, ADES, UMR 7268, Marseille, France
Archeodunum SAS, Colomiers, France
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