| Popis: |
Motorway planning works have permitted the exposure of an immense sepulchral group scattered over 20 hectares of a fluvial terrace of Ain river (nord-east of Lyon, municipality of Château-Gaillard, locality of Le Recourbe). That is a monumental necropolis made up with tumuli, ring-shaped enclosures, and grave-inhumation put in order with a border of shingle (dated from the Late Neolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age period, with also some Gallic burials and several Gallo-roman cremations). The archaeological interest of the site is its continuous funeral use during 2800 years, but unfortunately the levelling soil gives us the possibility to only study 9 protohistorical and gallic skeletons. Anthropometrical and descriptive studies on this material don't allow us to display morphological continuity during all these periods of burial ; comparative analysis (PCA) shows all individuals in the limits of probabilistic ellipses for each respective series of comparison populations (this being result of smallness of strenght, individual anatomical variability and taphonomic disturbance). On the other hand, all individuals have poor dental health with periapical cysts and carious lesions, and several sets of teeth present per vitam enamel cracks (by tough meat or hard materials chewing). Enthesophytes, especially on the arms and shoulders are often well marked, and could be the result of repetitive manual activities (like agricultural working). Any traumatic injury, not any tumour or infectious disease was noted, but cortical bone surfaces are worn away by roots and important soil washing. |
