Archaeologists from Inrap, the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives, recently conducted a series of excavations in Marliens, a locality in the France eastern located about 20 kilometers from the city of Dijon, in the Ouche valley. The preliminary investigation, necessary for the expansion of a gravel pit, covered a total area of 60 thousand square meters and revealed the remains of human settlements that extend from the Neolithic to the early Iron Age. A emerged monument more unique how rare.
Mystery about the horseshoe-shaped monument
The oldest settlement is characterized by the traces of a monument composed of three enclosures interconnected. At the center of the complex there is a circular one with a diameter of 11 meters, flanked to the north by a shaped one Horseshoe 8 meters long and to the south by an open semicircle that rests on the central one. The presence of a layer of gravel in the fillings of the two side enclosures suggests that a palisade.
Stratigraphic studies indicate that the three enclosures date back to the same era, but their dating remains uncertain. The only artefacts found in the pits are flint flakes, which suggest a chronological placement in the Neolithic. Radiocarbon analyzes are underway for greater precision.
But there is a real mystery surrounding the remains of what was probably a colossal monument: in the literature there are no known precedents of constructions with these shapes. Archaeologists are looking for evidence to understand what it could have been used for and why it was made that way. Evidence from different historical periods has emerged in the area which could help to better identify the uses of the populations that alternated and used that structure.
Ancient objects found “out of place”: the discovery
There are traces, for example, of Bell Beaker Culture, from the late Copper Age, between approximately 2600 and 1900 BC. Many emerged under the arable layer everyday objects: seven flint arrowheads, two archer’s bracelets, a flint steel and a copper alloy dagger.
The presence of iron oxideindicator of the use of pyrite, essential for lighting the fire. These objects are typically associated with burials, but their location suggests a different arrangement. Analyzes of the dagger’s copper alloy will provide details on the origin of the material and trade interactions of the period.
Wells and necropolis around the monument found in France
The site is also characterized by the presence of numerous wells dating back to the first part of theBronze Age. They are the only witnesses of the ancient settlements and provide important evidence of the environment of the first half of the 2nd century BC, thanks to the clay sediments.
A necropolis consisting of five circular enclosures, four of which are open and one closed, covering 6 thousand square meters, dates back to around 1500 BC. The acidity of the soil prevented the conservation of the bonemaking it impossible to find complete burials.
However, remains of burials and a have been identified funeral pyre in the pit of the largest open enclosure, which has a diameter of 24 meters. The dating of this structure is based on five copper alloy pins and a necklace made of approximately forty amber beads found in the moat.
The most recent settlements date back to the first Iron Age and include a second necropolis located about 400 meters from the previous one. It is characterized by the presence of six urns used to preserve the ashes of cremated bodies.
Covered by lids, they contain bone deposits occasionally accompanied by ornaments such as bracelets and rings made of copper and iron alloy. Investigations of human remains are underway to determine the funerary practices and gestures associated with these ancient cemeteries.
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