The Villard dolmen, Lauzet-Ubaye (04) and the Neolithic funerary context in the southern Alps. Reflections on Bell Beaker furniture and funerary practices in Provence.
PUProvence| N° d'inventaire | 23242 |
| Format | 20 x 26 |
| Détails | 221 p., 132 illustrations, paperback. |
| Publication | Aix-en-Provence, 2020 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9791032002803 |
The Villard dolmen is the only preserved megalithic monument from a small group of eight Alpine dolmens discovered near Gap and disappeared at the end of the 19th century. Located at the confluence of the Durance and Ubaye rivers, it was reported as early as 1894. Research on this tomb and its restoration took place from 1980 to 1983. The good preservation of the human bone remains and the furnishings has facilitated the detailed study of the functioning of the burial and the treatment of the remains. Radiocarbon dating has made it possible to identify two periods of use, one in the Early Bronze Age, the other in the Bell Beaker. This burial housed at least 25 immature and adult individuals of both sexes. The furnishings are specific to the Bell Beaker. During part of the occupation, the deceased were deposited in the center of the chamber. A storage space for bones, once the bodies had decomposed, was located against the chevet. At its summit, two connected ox vertebrae, probably corresponding to an offering, were placed on four stones. To the north, a space almost empty of bones could have been used as a circulation space. In the preserved part of the tumulus to the west, fragments of human bones and some objects from the Middle and Late Bronze Age were discovered. This study of the Villard dolmen is accompanied by an assessment of funerary practices in Provence in the Bell Beaker period and during the nearby periods, based on a corpus of burials that allows us to assess their evolution.
The Villard dolmen is the only preserved megalithic monument from a small group of eight Alpine dolmens discovered near Gap and disappeared at the end of the 19th century. Located at the confluence of the Durance and Ubaye rivers, it was reported as early as 1894. Research on this tomb and its restoration took place from 1980 to 1983. The good preservation of the human bone remains and the furnishings has facilitated the detailed study of the functioning of the burial and the treatment of the remains. Radiocarbon dating has made it possible to identify two periods of use, one in the Early Bronze Age, the other in the Bell Beaker. This burial housed at least 25 immature and adult individuals of both sexes. The furnishings are specific to the Bell Beaker. During part of the occupation, the deceased were deposited in the center of the chamber. A storage space for bones, once the bodies had decomposed, was located against the chevet. At its summit, two connected ox vertebrae, probably corresponding to an offering, were placed on four stones. To the north, a space almost empty of bones could have been used as a circulation space. In the preserved part of the tumulus to the west, fragments of human bones and some objects from the Middle and Late Bronze Age were discovered. This study of the Villard dolmen is accompanied by an assessment of funerary practices in Provence in the Bell Beaker period and during the nearby periods, based on a corpus of burials that allows us to assess their evolution.