An "exceptional" child's grave , 2,000 years old, was discovered under Clermont-Ferrand airport.
The burial dates from the Augusto-Tiberian period, i.e. the beginning of the 1st century AD.
An "exceptional" child's grave , 2,000 years old, was discovered under Clermont-Ferrand airport, in Aulnat (Puy-de-Dôme), announced Thursday January 14, 2021 the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap). About a year old, the young deceased was buried in the early 1st century in a wooden coffin 80 centimeters long "revealed by the presence of many nails and an ornamental iron plate" , specifies Inrap in a press release.
A burial "atypical in view of the profusion of vases and offerings"
This discovery took place in December as part of preventive excavations carried out by archaeologists from Inrap on the instructions of the State and the Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, upstream of the installation of a living base for construction site at the airport. Many offerings to the deceased have been unearthed around the coffin:twenty containers and pieces of butchery including half a pig, three hams, other portions of pork and two decapitated hens.
Miniature vases and glass balsamaires probably containing cosmetic or medicinal products were also discovered. This burial is "atypical in terms of the profusion of vases and offerings. In this type of tomb, there are often one or two vases placed at the foot. Here, there are about twenty, as well as deposits abundant food" , Laurence Lautier, head of airport searches, told AFP. It "reflects a certain social status, certainly a very wealthy family," she added.
Near the child, a dog skeleton was also found
Archaeologists also unearthed an iron hoop associated with a metal rod, in fact a game “which existed at the time but had not been discovered in a burial”, according to her. Near the child, a dog skeleton was also found in "an accompanying grave" . Such an association was common at the time, but the discovery of the animal's collar and bell "are very new" , emphasizes Inrap.
Finally, a deposit "as small as it is moving was placed on a fragment of shell:a milk tooth lost by an older child, perhaps that of a brother or sister of the young deceased" . The graves of young Gallo-Roman children are often located outside the community funeral space and sometimes even near the family home, details the institute.
This finding "gives us some clues about the interpretation of nearby buildings, certainly a villa" , explained Ms. Lautier. Carried out over 3.5 hectares, the excavations reveal habitats from the Iron Age, Antiquity, the High Middle Ages and the modern era. Started in November, they must end in February.