Un petit ensemble funéraire du haut Moyen Âge à Neuillé-Pont-Pierre (Indre-et-Loire) : nouveau regard sur le statut de ces lieux d’inhumation

Abstract

It was during the archaeological diagnosis of the Polaxis urban development zone, in the municipality of Neuillé-Pont-Pierre (Indre-et-Loire), that a discovery of a group of five burials presenting particular characteristics was made. These graves from the beginning of the Early Middle Ages are unique in possessing associated structures on posts. The organization of these funerary monuments proves a real will to mark this memorable place in the landscape and signify a privileged treatment of the dead. This invites us to look anew at the social position of these small burial places in the Early Middle Ages. This original discovery seems to be a unique event in the Centre region , and the rare points of comparison must be mainly looked for in Normandy and in Northern Europe, in particular contexts. This question is however difficult to understand, considering the lack of publications of this kind of sites.

Keywords

• Early Middle Ages
• funerary monuments
• rural environment
• separated burials
• Touraine