Le « cimetière de bébés » d’Alésia : un mobilier funéraire inédit
Résumé
A reconsideration of the records of excavations made at Alésia by Abbot Joly in 1950 provided an opportunity to relocate the site, to re-examine the funerary material, to determine the age of the deceased and to re-evaluate the use of the expression « baby’s cemetery ». The analysis of the bones and other material found in the tombs allows us to assess the correlation between the age of the deceased and the nature of the offerings. Comparisons with other archaeological sites demonstrate many similarities (such as the concentration of perinatal burials), as well as singularities (such as the type of inhumation, the character of the funerary material, the presence of an older individual).In anticipation of new excavations which may help to understand the specificity of the site and its possible connection with the nearby sanctuary, new approaches are proposed in this article.