Papers by philippe Lefranc
Achenheim : un habitat fortifié du dernier tiers du Ve millénaire (groupe de Bruebach-Oberbergen) en Basse-Alsace, 2021
A preventive excavation carried out in 2016 at the
Achenheim Strasse 2 site, west of Strasbourg (... more A preventive excavation carried out in 2016 at the
Achenheim Strasse 2 site, west of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) investigated
part of a ringed village, over an area of one hectare, attributed to the
Bruebach-Oberbergen horizon, an Epiroessenian group settled in
Lower Alsace between 4400 and 4250 BC. Most of the storage pits
discovered belong to this horizon (at least 211 and probably more
than 350), and a long section of enclosure outlining a segment of a
circle over 155 linear metres followed on from them, consisting of
a continuous V-shaped ditch, on average 1.70 metres wide and of
equivalent depth. The ditch was probably flanked on the inside by
an earthen embankment, as indicated by the asymmetrical profiles
of the fillings, and is interrupted twice by openings with structures
assimilated to fortified entrances. The construction of the enclosure
was carried out as a single project where only the entrances were
redeveloped, to varying degrees. The discovery of this enclosure,
identified as a defensive structure, marks an important stage
in research into regional Neolithic enclosures. Indeed, up until
now, such structures were only represented, from the Early
Neolithic to the end of the fifth millennium, by ‘Rosheim-type’
monuments, identified by recent research as ceremonial centres.
The number of excavations, the large volume of certain storage
pits and the surface covered by the enclosure (which we know extends over at least 3 or 4 hectares) suggest that the site hosted
a large population. This unprecedented configuration depicts the
organisation of the territory and of Bruebach-Oberbergen society
in a very different way from reconstructions based on regional
sites, which point rather to settlements composed of farms or small
scattered hamlets. We examine the historical context that led to the
emergence of this large fortified village and propose a correlation
with an episode of collective violence that affected Lower Alsace
around 4250 BC. This episode is illustrated at Achenheim itself
by very specific human deposits with vestiges of warrior rites
(victory celebrations). In addition to the important reconstruction
of the historical processes at work in the last third of the fifth
millennium, the relative abundance of exhumed material from
the site also provides the opportunity to better define the stylistic
evolution of pottery, to characterise lithic and bone tools, as well
as the husbandry system of the Bruebach-Oberbergen group.
Gallia Préhistoire, 2019
Mots clés. inhumations en fosses de plan circulaire, dépôts animaux, Épiroessen, Münchshofen, Lud... more Mots clés. inhumations en fosses de plan circulaire, dépôts animaux, Épiroessen, Münchshofen, Ludanice, Europe danubienne, Alsace RésuMé. De récentes mises au point sur la chronologie absolue des dépôts en fosse de plan circulaire en Bavière, de nouvelles recherches bibliographiques ainsi qu'une série de découvertes réalisées dans le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur nous permettent d'émettre l'hypothèse d'une origine de ce phénomène en Europe centrale, entre la Tchéquie et la Bavière. Ces régions ont en effet livré les dépôts les plus anciens et leur typologie recouvre l'ensemble des catégories définies : inhumations en position conventionnelle ou non conventionnelle, dépôts asymétriques, dépôts mixtes, segments anatomiques, etc. L'introduction de cette pratique dans le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur et dans la vallée du Neckar, sans doute sous influence Münchshofen directe, intervient dans le second tiers du 5 e millénaire. Elle est notamment illustrée par des dépôts mixtes, des segments anatomiques, des individus isolés en position conventionnelle ou non, des dépôts singuliers à connotation guerrière et des dépôts d'animaux. La culture de Michelsberg, attestée en Basse-Alsace à la fin du millénaire, perpétue cette pratique qui connaît un nouvel essor lors de l'étape moyenne de cette culture et une diffusion en direction de la Haute-Alsace. À l'est, en Slovaquie, il est possible que le groupe de Ludanice, touché par le phénomène dans les derniers siècles du 5 e millénaire, ait joué le rôle de relais dans sa diffusion vers les groupes de la Trichterbecherkultur ancienne. Au principe d'une diffusion progressive du phénomène du Chasséen vers le Michelsberg, puis vers les régions danubiennes, nous proposons donc de substituer un modèle polycentrique dans lequel le Midi et l'Europe centrale évoluent indépendamment et sans nécessaires interactions.
Gallia Préhistoire, 2019
On account of recent developments in the absolute chronology of circular-shaped grave deposits fr... more On account of recent developments in the absolute chronology of circular-shaped grave deposits from Bavaria, new bibliographic research and a series of discoveries in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain, we can now advance the hypothesis of an origin of this phenomenon in Central Europe, between the Czech Republic and Bavaria. These regions have yielded the earliest deposits with typologies encompassing all of the defined categories: burials in conventional or non-conventional positions, asymmetrical deposits, mixed deposits, anatomic segments, etc. The introduction of this practice in the south of the Upper Rhine Plain and in the Neckar Valley, undoubtedly under the direct influence of Münchshofen, occurs in the second third of the fifth millennium: it is illustrated in particular by mixed deposits, anatomic segments, isolated individuals in conventional or non-conventional positions, singular deposits with a warrior connotation and deposits of animals. The Michelsberg culture, attested in Lower Alsace at the end of the millennium, perpetuates this practice which undergoes a new development during the middle stage of this culture and a direct diffusion towards Upper Alsace. To the east, in Slovakia, it is possible that the group from Ludanice, affected by the phenomenon during the last centuries of the 5th millennium, played a relay role in diffusion towards early Trichterbecherkultur groups.
Thus, rather than a progressive diffusion of the phenomenon from the Chassean towards Michelsberg, then towards the Danubian regions, we propose a polycentric model in which South and Central Europe evolve separately without necessarily interacting.
Revue Archéologique de l'Est, 2021
La mise au jour, en 2019, d’un petit ensemble funéraire attribué au début du Bronze ancien à Truc... more La mise au jour, en 2019, d’un petit ensemble funéraire attribué au début du Bronze ancien à Truchtersheim « Holderacker »
(2030-1900 av. J.-C), à une douzaine de kilomètres au nord-ouest de Strasbourg, nous amène à proposer un point d’étape sur
l’ensemble de la documentation disponible sur les pratiques funéraires du BzA1 en Alsace. Cet horizon chronologique, jusqu’ici très peu
documenté, a récemment bénéficié d’une série de découvertes, essentiellement réalisées entre 2017 et 2019 à l’occasion des opérations
d’archéologie préventive conduites sur le tracé du Contournement Ouest de Strasbourg. Le corpus régional, modeste (vingt tombes),
ne permet que des observations de portée limitée, mais plusieurs caractères spécifiques à la période peuvent être reconnus. Parmi eux,
la variabilité des orientations, se partageant entre un groupe NE-SO, majoritaire, et un groupe NO-SE. Le premier, également
majoritaire dans le groupe du Danube, en Bavière, rassemble des individus masculins et féminins déposés sur le flanc gauche et tête au
NE pour les premiers, et sur le flanc droit, tête au SO pour les seconds. Le second groupe d’orientations ne rassemble que des individus
déposés sur le flanc droit, tête au NO, dans lesquels nous proposons de reconnaître des individus féminins s’opposant aux individus
masculins non pas en vertu du principe de symétrie horizontale caractérisant le groupe des orientations NE-SO, mais en fonction d’un
principe de symétrie verticale, configuration qui semble propre au sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur. Les dépôts de mobilier sont rares,
essentiellement constitués, comme à Truchtersheim, d’éléments de parures en matière dure animale, parfois accompagnés de rares objets
en métal ou en faïence. La composition des dépôts, rassemblant des objets ubiquistes, n’autorise pas l’identification formelle d’éventuels
réseaux connectant l’Alsace aux secteurs de peuplement d’Allemagne méridionale ou du sud-ouest. Cependant, en nous appuyant sur
l’analyse des orientations et sur leur évolution au cours du Bronze ancien, ainsi que sur d’autres éléments comme l’existence en Alsace de
structures de type Tottenhütten et de maisons de type Eching/Öberau, nous réitérons l’hypothèse d’un lien privilégié entre notre région
d’étude et le groupe du Danube de la culture de Straubing. Enfin, nous soulignons le manque de données régionales qui caractérise le
moment du passage entre le Campaniforme et les premières manifestations du Bronze ancien entre 2150 et 2000 av. J.-C., telles qu’elles
sont illustrées dans les proches nécropoles de Singen, dans le Bade, ou de Remseck-Aldingen, dans la vallée du Neckar.
CAAAH, 63, 2020
Le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur n’a livré que peu de témoins de l’occupation de la rive gau... more Le sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur n’a livré que peu de témoins de l’occupation de la rive gauche du fleuve
par les porteurs de la Céramique cordée. Nous présentons dans cette contribution trois nouveaux habitats
(Achenheim, Gougenheim et Vendenheim), deux ensembles funéraires (Kolbsheim et Lingolsheim), étudiés lors
d’opérations d’archéologie préventive ou que de récentes datations radiométriques ont permis de réattribuer au
Néolithique final (Lingolsheim), ainsi qu’une petite série d’objets (armatures de flèche et poignards pressigniens)
recueillis lors de prospections de surface. Les structures d’habitat se limitent à quelques fosses attribuables au
Cordé ancien (Vendenheim) et final (Achenheim, Gougenheim) ayant livré des formes céramiques trahissant,
comme il est de règle dans la région, de fortes influences de Suisse orientale, mais également du Rhin moyen,
une donnée nouvelle qui nous permet de localiser une frontière culturelle entre deux groupes du Cordé tardif
dans le nord du plateau du Kochersberg. L’appartenance de deux tombes de Kolbsheim et la réattribution au
Cordé d’un petit ensemble anciennement fouillé par R. Forrer à Lingolsheim sont discutées. Enfin, la mise au
jour de nouveaux poignards pressignien nous permet d’aborder la question des influences occidentales à l’oeuvre
dans la région dans le second tiers du 3e millénaire av. J.-C.
REVUE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE DE L'EST, 2020
The origin of the Munzingen stylistic group, which developed between Alsace and Baden and covers ... more The origin of the Munzingen stylistic group, which developed between Alsace and Baden and covers several facies, is
still debated. The “Rhinocentric” hypothesis, dominating across the Rhine and often presented as the sole paradigm, considers the
Munzingen B as a regional evolution of the Late Michelsberg. Following C. Jeunesse, we oppose this hypothesis and propose instead the
principle of a phylum dating back to the transition between the 5th and 4th millennia, and consider the Munzingen as a culture that,
at its origin, had little connection to the Michelsberg. We base our hypothesis on a stylistic analysis supported by a new correspondence analysis that tends to show that the Late Munzingen of Baden and Lower Alsace (grouped here in the Northern Late Munzingen)
proceeds from an evolution of the Early Munzingen (Munzingen A) style. This latter can be synchronized based on an analysis of the
distribution maps and a set of mixed assemblages, with the Middle Michelsberg (MKIII), a culture with which it shares a border along
an axis linking Fribourg-en-Brisgau, in Kaiserstuhl, at Houssen, in Upper Alsace. We insist on the early integration of this geographic
sector given the emergence of the Munzingen style in the realm of influence linking central Europe to the Rhine Valley – influences
perceptible starting in the last third of the 5th millennium – and emphasize the stylistic proximity of the Early Munzingen with part
of the productions of groups then occupying the Upper Swabia and the shores of Lake Constance. Rather than a regional group derived
from the Early Michelsberg, a hypothesis supported by J. Lüning, we propose to identify in the Early Munzingen a style well-anchored
in a regional substratum (western Riegel and Bischheim group of the Late Upper Rhine), open to eastern influences, such as the
Hornstaad group, which was very present in the south of Baden and in Haute-Alsace, and whose role in the genesis of the Munzingen
was probably determinant.
The Early Munzingen extends across southern Baden (south of Kaiserstuhl and Markgräferland) and Upper Alsace, to the north of
the Sundgau plateau at Colmar. At around 3,850 BC, the two regions evolved separately. Under a Pfyn influence following from
Hornstaad contributions, in Baden the Early Munzingen evolved toward the Northern Late Munzingen style. Starting from this
core, and following the diffusionist thesis supported here, the Munzingen style successively took hold in the north of Kaiserstuhl, Lower
Alsace, Neckar and Wetterau, superseding the Michelsberg in these regions. In Upper Alsace, a region les exposed to the Pfyn influences
and closer to the Cortaillod groups of central Switzerland, the Munzingen A evolved toward the Southern Late Munzingen style
(formerly Munzingen A2), which was very similar to the Early Munzingen, which has been individualized only by recent radiometric
dates. To better understand this complex history and the existence of two entities that were clearly dissociated from 3,850/3,800 BC,
we propose to retain the Early Munzingen (MZA) designation for the assemblages originating from the shared foundation, but to
replace the MZA2 acronym, defining the Late Munzingen assemblages of Upper Alsace, with the name “Southern Late Munzingen.”
The Munzingen B, which is both a late style derived from the Early Munzingen and an expanding cultural group, could be defined as
the “Northern Late Munzingen”.
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt, 2018
The spatial analysis of the Neolithic village of Bischoffsheim led to the development of a new mo... more The spatial analysis of the Neolithic village of Bischoffsheim led to the development of a new model of internal organisation
of the Linear Pottery culture settlements based on a series of precisely dated houses and on a Bayesian modelling
of numerous radiocarbon dates. The »orthogonal model«, similar in principle to the Hofplatz model but also
reflecting the row organisation observed at many sites, proposes the partition of the village, which displays a regular
division into quadrangular lots with successive buildings. These were rebuilt repeatedly (approximately every quarter of
a century) by the same social unit.
Science Advances, 2020
Starting from 12,000 years ago in the Middle East, the Neolithic lifestyle spread across Europe v... more Starting from 12,000 years ago in the Middle East, the Neolithic lifestyle spread across Europe via separate continental and Mediterranean routes. Genomes from early European farmers have shown a clear Near Eastern/Anatolian genetic affinity with limited contribution from hunter-gatherers. However, no genomic data are available from modern-day France, where both routes converged, as evidenced by a mosaic cultural pattern. Here, we present genome-wide data from 101 individuals from 12 sites covering today's France and Germany from the Mesolithic (N = 3) to the Neolithic (N = 98) (7000-3000 BCE). Using the genetic sub-structure observed in European hunter-gatherers, we characterize diverse patterns of admixture in different regions, consistent with both routes of expansion. Early western European farmers show a higher proportion of distinctly western hunter-gatherer ancestry compared to central/southeastern farmers. Our data highlight the complexity of the biological interactions during the Neolithic expansion by revealing major regional variations.
The Neolithic of Europe papers in honour of A lasdair Whittle, 2017
In 2009, three pseudo-ditch (defined below) causewayed
enclosures were discovered in Basse-Alsace... more In 2009, three pseudo-ditch (defined below) causewayed
enclosures were discovered in Basse-Alsace, at the sites
of Meistratzheim, Entzheim and Duntzenheim, providing
the impetus for new research into this type of enclosure.
Previously, this form of ditched enclosure was only
represented in the southern Upper Rhine valley by the ditch
section at the site of Rosheim ‘Sainte-Odile’, excavated in
1991 (Jeunesse 1996a; 1996b; Jeunesse and Lefranc 1999).
The pseudo-ditch causewayed enclosures that flourished over
much of Europe for two millennia have, with some notable
exceptions, seldom been recognised as such by archaeologists.
Over recent years, however, rescue excavations of middle
Neolithic enclosure systems in Alsace have identified various
examples of this pseudo-ditch type of enclosure construction.
The first-hand observation of pseudo-ditches in the field was
achieved through the application of appropriate excavation
techniques, such as excavating ditches in a chequerboard
fashion to obtain a complete longitudinal profile. This
contribution provides a brief overview of five of the
enclosures excavated in Alsace between 2009 and 2013. It
focuses on what the material evidence from the enclosure
pseudo-ditches and accompanying features can tell us about
the activities that took place at these monuments.
Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more t... more Pottery is one of the most commonly recovered artefacts from archaeological sites. Despite more than a century of relative dating based on typology and seriation, accurate dating of pottery using the radiocarbon dating method has proven extremely challenging owing to the limited survival of organic temper and unreliability of visible residues. Here we report a method to directly date archaeological pottery based on accelerator mass spectrometry analysis of 14C in absorbed food residues using palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0) fatty acids purified by preparative gas chromatography. We present accurate compound-specific radiocarbon determinations of lipids extracted from pottery vessels, which were rigorously evaluated by comparison with dendrochronological dates and inclusion in site and regional chronologies that contained previously determined radiocarbon dates on other materials. Notably, the compound-specific dates from each of the C16:0 and C18:0 fatty acids in pottery vessels provide an internal quality control of the results6 and are entirely compatible with dates for other commonly dated materials. Accurate radiocarbon dating of pottery vessels can reveal: (1) the period of use of pottery; (2) the antiquity of organic residues, including when specific foodstuffs were exploited; (3) the chronology of sites in the absence of traditionally datable materials; and (4) direct verification of pottery typochronologies. Here we used the method to date the exploitation of dairy and carcass products in Neolithic vessels from Britain, Anatolia, central and western Europe, and Saharan Africa.
https://rdcu.be/b3s6J (online pdf)
GERMANIA, 2018
Abstract: New evidence for metallurgy in the Late Neolithic in the Upper Rhine valley:
the finds ... more Abstract: New evidence for metallurgy in the Late Neolithic in the Upper Rhine valley:
the finds from Colmar “Aérodrome” und Eckwersheim “Burgweg”
The Upper Rhine Valley does not belong to the core regions of the late Neolithic metallurgy,
even if metal is occasionally found in contexts of the Michelsberg and Munzingen
cultures. Two recent findings made in Alsace reveal important information concerning the
beginning of copper use in the Upper Rhine Valley. These new discoveries prompted us to
collate and study all the Neolithic copper artefacts previously found in Alsace and in
neighbouring areas and, where possible, to carry out new metallic trace-element analysis.
The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of the context and importance of that metallurgical industry in the Rhine valley based on two new discoveries. This work
suggests that we were already dealing with an established copper processing in Alsace and
the neighbouring areas in the (late) Neolithic, which had strong links to the Neolithic
metallurgy centre on Lake Zurich and Lake Constance.
Human Remains and Violence , 2019
Among the numerous human remains found in circular pits belonging to the fourth millennium BCE cu... more Among the numerous human remains found in circular pits belonging to the fourth millennium BCE cultures north of the Alps, there are many examples of bodies laid in random (or unconventional) positions. Some of these remains in irregular con-gurations, interred alongside an individual in a conventional exed position, can be considered as a 'funerary accompaniment'. Other burials, of isolated individuals or multiple individuals buried in unconventional positions, suggest the existence of burial practices outside of the otherwise strict framework of funerary rites. The focus of this article is the evidence recently arising from excavation and anthropo-logical studies from the Upper Rhine Plain (Michelsberg and Munzingen cultures). We assume that these bodies in unconventional positions were not dumped as trash, but that they were a part of the nal act of a complex ritual. It is hypothesised that these bodies, interpreted here as ritual waste, were sacriicial victims, and a number of possible explanations, including 'peripheral accompaniment' or victims of acts of war are debated.
RAE, 2018
Abstract The Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ necropolis in Lower Alsace yielded 29 tombs attributed to th... more Abstract The Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ necropolis in Lower Alsace yielded 29 tombs attributed to the Middle Neolithic. It was
probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps
during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary
assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen.The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the
most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration
of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already
been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the
mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the
corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and
sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals
decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg
and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai
necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig-
Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These
traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations
to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This
observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups
of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Revue archéologique de l'Est, Société archéologique de l’Est, 67, p.5-57, 2018
La nécropole d’Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’, en Basse-Alsace, a livré 29 tombes attribuées au Néolithi... more La nécropole d’Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’, en Basse-Alsace, a livré 29 tombes attribuées au Néolithique moyen. Sa fondation intervient probablement dès le Grossgartach ancien, à la fin du 48e siècle av. J.-C. et son abandon dans le courant du Roessen, peut-être dès le Roessen ancien, dans tous les cas avant le milieu du 46e siècle. La plupart des tombes, et il s’agit de la principale originalité de cet ensemble funéraire, relèvent du Planig-Friedberg (dernier stade stylistique du Grossgartach) et du Roessen, périodes encore très peu documentées régionalement sur le plan des pratiques funéraires. La nécropole est formée de trois groupes spatiaux dont le plus ancien rassemble toutes les tombes Grossgartach et une tombe Planig-Friedberg. Les deux autres groupes sont fondés lors du Planig-Friedberg, mais un seul d’entre eux est encore utilisé lors du Roessen. C’est à ce moment-là que succède à la distribution des tombes autour de trois pôles distincts, une concentration des sépultures dans un même espace restreint, phénomène déjà documenté sur d’autres ensembles régionaux. L’intégration d’Obernai au sein du corpus régional et l’analyse détaillée des gestes funéraires permet de souligner la permanence du rituel depuis le Grossgartach, au niveau des positions et des orientations notamment, mais également de mettre en évidence une série d’évolutions touchant à la fréquence et aux types des dépôts de mobilier : certaines catégories comme les meules/molettes et les armatures de faucille disparaissent alors que la part des armatures de flèche et des nécessaires à feu s’accroît. Le nombre relativement élevé d’individus parés de bracelets nous a permis de définir la manière dont ces éléments, réservés aux femmes, étaient portés au Planig-Friedberg et au Roessen : au-dessus du coude et en symétrie, en rupture avec le style Grossgartach. Une autre originalité de la nécropole d’Obernai est d’avoir livré des éléments propres aux groupes haut-alsaciens et sud-badois (ou groupes ‘sud’) du Planig-Friedberg et du Roessen, à l’image des vases Planig-Friedberg de type Forchheim et de leurs épigones Roessen, ainsi que des anneaux-disques irréguliers. Ces traits, mêlés à une majorité de caractères définissant les groupes de Basse-Alsace (composante nord de la céramique Roessen, orientations à l’ouest), permettent d’assimiler la nécropole d’Obernai à un ensemble mixte où coexistent deux traditions distinctes. Cette observation rejoint les conclusions des études céramiques, qui placent la frontière stylistique entre les groupes nord et sud du Roessen du sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur à hauteur d’Obernai.
Abstract: The Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ necropolis in Lower Alsace yielded 29 tombs attributed to the Middle Neolithic. It was probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen. The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig- Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Zusammenfassung: In der Nekropole von Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ im Departement Bas-Rhin kamen 29 Gräber aus dem Mittelneolithikum zutage. Es wurde wahrscheinlich bereits im frühen Großgartach, am Ende des 48. Jh. v. Chr., angelegt und im Laufe von Rössen aufgegeben, vielleicht bereits im frühen Rössen, auf jeden Fall vor Mitte des 46. Jh. Die meisten Gräber, und darin besteht die bedeutendste Originalität dieses Bestattungsensembles, stammen aus der Phase Planig-Friedberg (dem letzten stilistischen Stadium der Großgartacher Kultur) und Rössen, Perioden, die im Bereich der Bestattungssitten in der Region noch sehr wenig dokumentiert sind. Das Gräberfeld besteht aus drei Arealen. Im ältesten Areal befinden sich alle Großgartach Gräber und ein Grab Planig-Friedberg. Die beiden anderen Areale werden im Planig-Friedberg angelegt, doch nur eines der beiden Areale wird noch im Rössen genutzt. Bis in die Rössener Phase sind die Gräber um drei unterschiedliche Pole gruppiert, dann konzentrieren sie sich in einem begrenzten Raum. Dieses Phänomen ist bereits von anderen Nekropolen der Region bekannt. Die Eingliederung der Nekropole von Obernai in den regionalen Datenbestand und die detaillierte Analyse der Bestattungsriten erlaubt es die Kontinuität des Rituals seit Großgartach zu unterstreichen, insbesondere was die Positionen und die Orientierungen angeht. Zudem konnte eine Reihe von Entwicklungen bezüglich der Frequenz und Art der Grabbeigaben aufgezeigt werden: einige Kategorien, wie die Mahlsteine/Läufer und die Sichelklingen verschwinden, während die Zahl der Pfeilspitzen und der Feuerschlagsteine steigt. Die relativ hohe Anzahl von Individuen mit Armreifen hat es uns ermöglicht zu bestimmen, wie diese den Frauen vorbehaltenen Schmuckelemente in der Periode von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen getragen wurden: über dem Ellenbogen und symmetrisch, was einen Bruch mit dem Großgartacher Stil darstellt. Eine weitere Originalität des Gräberfeldes von Obernai besteht darin, dass es Elemente der oberelsässischen und südbadischen Gruppen (oder Komponente „Süd“) von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen geliefert hat, wie die Planig-Friedberger Gefäße des Typs Forchheim und ihrer Rössener Epigone, zudem unregelmäßige Scheibenringe. Diese Merkmale in Verbindung mit zahlreichen Eigenschaften der niederelsässischen Gruppen (Komponente „Nord“ der Rössener Keramik, Orientierung nach Westen) erlauben es, das Gräberfeld von Obernai einer gemischten Gruppe zuzuordnen, bei der zwei unterschiedliche Traditionen nebeneinander bestehen. Diese Beobachtung stimmt mit den Keramikstudien überein, welche die stilistische Grenze zwischen den nördlichen und südlichen Gruppen der Rössener Kultur in der südlichen Oberrheinebene bei Obernai platzieren.
Documenta Praehistorica, 2018
The strengths of formal Bayesian chronological modelling are restated, combining as it
does knowl... more The strengths of formal Bayesian chronological modelling are restated, combining as it
does knowledge of the archaeology with the radiocarbon dating of carefully chosen samples of
known taphonomy in association with diagnostic material culture. The risks of dating bone samples
are reviewed, along with a brief history of the development of approaches to the radiocarbon dating
of bone. In reply to Strien (2017), selected topics concerned with the emergence and aftermath of
the LBK are discussed, as well as the early Vinča, Ražište and Hinkelstein sequences. The need for
rigour in an approach which combines archaeology and radiocarbon dating is underlined.
This work is an attempt at a short synthesis of recent Neolithic
human deposits found in circular... more This work is an attempt at a short synthesis of recent Neolithic
human deposits found in circular pits on the southern
plain of the Upper-Rhine Valley and is based on recent data
from rescue excavations. The large regional corpus has allowed
the definition of a complex system of recurring patterns
whereby simple inhumations coexist with bodies found
in a splayed or disorderly manner which we interpret as
being »accompanying burials«. Evidence of post mortem
manipulation, as well as deposits of isolated bone, have been
observed. We now wonder, drawing heavily on recent and
spectacular evidence, about the existence of true human sacrifices.
Our interpretive model, when compared with the data
from other regions where the phenomenon of burial deposits
in circular pits occurs, allows us to construct a coherent system
which fits across the entire geographic distribution of
the deposits in circular pits.
Recent discovery of a neolithic deposit in circular pit in Alsace -gathering six entire bodies an... more Recent discovery of a neolithic deposit in circular pit in Alsace -gathering six entire bodies and four chopped off left arms- providing evidences of warfare, trophy taking and overkill practises at the end of the fifth millennium BC.
Cahiers Alsaciens d'Archéologie, d'Art et d'Histoire, 2018
Deux nouveaux sites du Michelsberg ancien ont été fouillés entre 2013 et 2016 sur les rebords du ... more Deux nouveaux sites du Michelsberg ancien ont été fouillés entre 2013 et 2016 sur les rebords du plateau du
Kochersberg, au nord et à l’ouest de Strasbourg. Le site de Vendenheim a livré les vestiges d’un habitat constitué
d’une vingtaine de fosses de plan circulaire contenant un abondant mobilier céramique illustrant l’ensemble de
la gamme des productions du Michelsberg ancien régional, période encore peu documentée et jusqu’ici reconnue
à travers des assemblages isolés. À l’écart de cet ensemble, dans un secteur proche du lieu-dit « Les Coteaux»
– où un dépôt animal du Michelsberg ancien a anciennement été documenté – a été fouillée une fosse de plan
circulaire contenant, sur deux niveaux de dépôt, les dépouilles d’un enfant et d’un canidé. Le site d’Achenheim
« Strasse 2 », qui n’a livré que peu de structures domestiques, se distingue par la présence d’un petit ensemble
funéraire constitué de quatre tombes localisées à l’écart de l’habitat. Les inhumations (corps allongés dans des
creusements oblongs et orientation au nord-ouest), attribuées à l’horizon chronologique Michelsberg ancien par
le radiocarbone, s’inscrivent dans la tradition funéraire régionale de la première moitié du Néolithique moyen
et témoignent de son maintien jusqu’à l’aube du 4e millénaire.
Zwischen 2013 und 2016 wurden im Norden und Westen von Straßburg am Kochersberg zwei neue Frühmichelsberger
Fundorte untersucht. An der Grabungsstätte Vendenheim wurden Reste einer Siedlung mit rund zwanzig kreisförmigen
Gruben freigelegt, die zahlreiche Keramikgegenstände enthielten. Das Inventar umfasst das gesamte Produktionsspektrum
der regionalen Frühmichelsberger Periode. Diese noch kaum dokumentierte Kultur konnte bisher nur vereinzelt
nachgewiesen werden. An einer weiteren Grabungsstätte in der Nähe der Ortschaft Les Coteaux, wo zuvor bereits
eine Frühmichelsberger Abfallgrube mit Tierresten nachgewiesen worden war, befand sich eine kreisförmige Grube, die
in zwei Abfallschichten die Überreste eines Kindes und eines Hundes enthielt. Am Grabungsort Achenheim „Strasse 2“
wurde neben wenigen Siedlungsresten eine kleine Grabanlage mit vier Gräbern abseits der Wohnhäuser gefunden. Diese
Grabstätten (gestreckte Körperlage, rechteckige Gruben, Nordwestausrichtung) konnten mit der Radiokarbonmethode
auf die Frühmichelsberger Kultur datiert werden; sie sind den regionalen Bestattungstraditionen der ersten Hälfte der
mittleren Jungsteinzeit zuzuordnen und belegen, dass sich diese Bräuche bis ins frühe 4. Jahrtausend hielten.
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Papers by philippe Lefranc
Achenheim Strasse 2 site, west of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) investigated
part of a ringed village, over an area of one hectare, attributed to the
Bruebach-Oberbergen horizon, an Epiroessenian group settled in
Lower Alsace between 4400 and 4250 BC. Most of the storage pits
discovered belong to this horizon (at least 211 and probably more
than 350), and a long section of enclosure outlining a segment of a
circle over 155 linear metres followed on from them, consisting of
a continuous V-shaped ditch, on average 1.70 metres wide and of
equivalent depth. The ditch was probably flanked on the inside by
an earthen embankment, as indicated by the asymmetrical profiles
of the fillings, and is interrupted twice by openings with structures
assimilated to fortified entrances. The construction of the enclosure
was carried out as a single project where only the entrances were
redeveloped, to varying degrees. The discovery of this enclosure,
identified as a defensive structure, marks an important stage
in research into regional Neolithic enclosures. Indeed, up until
now, such structures were only represented, from the Early
Neolithic to the end of the fifth millennium, by ‘Rosheim-type’
monuments, identified by recent research as ceremonial centres.
The number of excavations, the large volume of certain storage
pits and the surface covered by the enclosure (which we know extends over at least 3 or 4 hectares) suggest that the site hosted
a large population. This unprecedented configuration depicts the
organisation of the territory and of Bruebach-Oberbergen society
in a very different way from reconstructions based on regional
sites, which point rather to settlements composed of farms or small
scattered hamlets. We examine the historical context that led to the
emergence of this large fortified village and propose a correlation
with an episode of collective violence that affected Lower Alsace
around 4250 BC. This episode is illustrated at Achenheim itself
by very specific human deposits with vestiges of warrior rites
(victory celebrations). In addition to the important reconstruction
of the historical processes at work in the last third of the fifth
millennium, the relative abundance of exhumed material from
the site also provides the opportunity to better define the stylistic
evolution of pottery, to characterise lithic and bone tools, as well
as the husbandry system of the Bruebach-Oberbergen group.
Thus, rather than a progressive diffusion of the phenomenon from the Chassean towards Michelsberg, then towards the Danubian regions, we propose a polycentric model in which South and Central Europe evolve separately without necessarily interacting.
(2030-1900 av. J.-C), à une douzaine de kilomètres au nord-ouest de Strasbourg, nous amène à proposer un point d’étape sur
l’ensemble de la documentation disponible sur les pratiques funéraires du BzA1 en Alsace. Cet horizon chronologique, jusqu’ici très peu
documenté, a récemment bénéficié d’une série de découvertes, essentiellement réalisées entre 2017 et 2019 à l’occasion des opérations
d’archéologie préventive conduites sur le tracé du Contournement Ouest de Strasbourg. Le corpus régional, modeste (vingt tombes),
ne permet que des observations de portée limitée, mais plusieurs caractères spécifiques à la période peuvent être reconnus. Parmi eux,
la variabilité des orientations, se partageant entre un groupe NE-SO, majoritaire, et un groupe NO-SE. Le premier, également
majoritaire dans le groupe du Danube, en Bavière, rassemble des individus masculins et féminins déposés sur le flanc gauche et tête au
NE pour les premiers, et sur le flanc droit, tête au SO pour les seconds. Le second groupe d’orientations ne rassemble que des individus
déposés sur le flanc droit, tête au NO, dans lesquels nous proposons de reconnaître des individus féminins s’opposant aux individus
masculins non pas en vertu du principe de symétrie horizontale caractérisant le groupe des orientations NE-SO, mais en fonction d’un
principe de symétrie verticale, configuration qui semble propre au sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur. Les dépôts de mobilier sont rares,
essentiellement constitués, comme à Truchtersheim, d’éléments de parures en matière dure animale, parfois accompagnés de rares objets
en métal ou en faïence. La composition des dépôts, rassemblant des objets ubiquistes, n’autorise pas l’identification formelle d’éventuels
réseaux connectant l’Alsace aux secteurs de peuplement d’Allemagne méridionale ou du sud-ouest. Cependant, en nous appuyant sur
l’analyse des orientations et sur leur évolution au cours du Bronze ancien, ainsi que sur d’autres éléments comme l’existence en Alsace de
structures de type Tottenhütten et de maisons de type Eching/Öberau, nous réitérons l’hypothèse d’un lien privilégié entre notre région
d’étude et le groupe du Danube de la culture de Straubing. Enfin, nous soulignons le manque de données régionales qui caractérise le
moment du passage entre le Campaniforme et les premières manifestations du Bronze ancien entre 2150 et 2000 av. J.-C., telles qu’elles
sont illustrées dans les proches nécropoles de Singen, dans le Bade, ou de Remseck-Aldingen, dans la vallée du Neckar.
par les porteurs de la Céramique cordée. Nous présentons dans cette contribution trois nouveaux habitats
(Achenheim, Gougenheim et Vendenheim), deux ensembles funéraires (Kolbsheim et Lingolsheim), étudiés lors
d’opérations d’archéologie préventive ou que de récentes datations radiométriques ont permis de réattribuer au
Néolithique final (Lingolsheim), ainsi qu’une petite série d’objets (armatures de flèche et poignards pressigniens)
recueillis lors de prospections de surface. Les structures d’habitat se limitent à quelques fosses attribuables au
Cordé ancien (Vendenheim) et final (Achenheim, Gougenheim) ayant livré des formes céramiques trahissant,
comme il est de règle dans la région, de fortes influences de Suisse orientale, mais également du Rhin moyen,
une donnée nouvelle qui nous permet de localiser une frontière culturelle entre deux groupes du Cordé tardif
dans le nord du plateau du Kochersberg. L’appartenance de deux tombes de Kolbsheim et la réattribution au
Cordé d’un petit ensemble anciennement fouillé par R. Forrer à Lingolsheim sont discutées. Enfin, la mise au
jour de nouveaux poignards pressignien nous permet d’aborder la question des influences occidentales à l’oeuvre
dans la région dans le second tiers du 3e millénaire av. J.-C.
still debated. The “Rhinocentric” hypothesis, dominating across the Rhine and often presented as the sole paradigm, considers the
Munzingen B as a regional evolution of the Late Michelsberg. Following C. Jeunesse, we oppose this hypothesis and propose instead the
principle of a phylum dating back to the transition between the 5th and 4th millennia, and consider the Munzingen as a culture that,
at its origin, had little connection to the Michelsberg. We base our hypothesis on a stylistic analysis supported by a new correspondence analysis that tends to show that the Late Munzingen of Baden and Lower Alsace (grouped here in the Northern Late Munzingen)
proceeds from an evolution of the Early Munzingen (Munzingen A) style. This latter can be synchronized based on an analysis of the
distribution maps and a set of mixed assemblages, with the Middle Michelsberg (MKIII), a culture with which it shares a border along
an axis linking Fribourg-en-Brisgau, in Kaiserstuhl, at Houssen, in Upper Alsace. We insist on the early integration of this geographic
sector given the emergence of the Munzingen style in the realm of influence linking central Europe to the Rhine Valley – influences
perceptible starting in the last third of the 5th millennium – and emphasize the stylistic proximity of the Early Munzingen with part
of the productions of groups then occupying the Upper Swabia and the shores of Lake Constance. Rather than a regional group derived
from the Early Michelsberg, a hypothesis supported by J. Lüning, we propose to identify in the Early Munzingen a style well-anchored
in a regional substratum (western Riegel and Bischheim group of the Late Upper Rhine), open to eastern influences, such as the
Hornstaad group, which was very present in the south of Baden and in Haute-Alsace, and whose role in the genesis of the Munzingen
was probably determinant.
The Early Munzingen extends across southern Baden (south of Kaiserstuhl and Markgräferland) and Upper Alsace, to the north of
the Sundgau plateau at Colmar. At around 3,850 BC, the two regions evolved separately. Under a Pfyn influence following from
Hornstaad contributions, in Baden the Early Munzingen evolved toward the Northern Late Munzingen style. Starting from this
core, and following the diffusionist thesis supported here, the Munzingen style successively took hold in the north of Kaiserstuhl, Lower
Alsace, Neckar and Wetterau, superseding the Michelsberg in these regions. In Upper Alsace, a region les exposed to the Pfyn influences
and closer to the Cortaillod groups of central Switzerland, the Munzingen A evolved toward the Southern Late Munzingen style
(formerly Munzingen A2), which was very similar to the Early Munzingen, which has been individualized only by recent radiometric
dates. To better understand this complex history and the existence of two entities that were clearly dissociated from 3,850/3,800 BC,
we propose to retain the Early Munzingen (MZA) designation for the assemblages originating from the shared foundation, but to
replace the MZA2 acronym, defining the Late Munzingen assemblages of Upper Alsace, with the name “Southern Late Munzingen.”
The Munzingen B, which is both a late style derived from the Early Munzingen and an expanding cultural group, could be defined as
the “Northern Late Munzingen”.
of the Linear Pottery culture settlements based on a series of precisely dated houses and on a Bayesian modelling
of numerous radiocarbon dates. The »orthogonal model«, similar in principle to the Hofplatz model but also
reflecting the row organisation observed at many sites, proposes the partition of the village, which displays a regular
division into quadrangular lots with successive buildings. These were rebuilt repeatedly (approximately every quarter of
a century) by the same social unit.
enclosures were discovered in Basse-Alsace, at the sites
of Meistratzheim, Entzheim and Duntzenheim, providing
the impetus for new research into this type of enclosure.
Previously, this form of ditched enclosure was only
represented in the southern Upper Rhine valley by the ditch
section at the site of Rosheim ‘Sainte-Odile’, excavated in
1991 (Jeunesse 1996a; 1996b; Jeunesse and Lefranc 1999).
The pseudo-ditch causewayed enclosures that flourished over
much of Europe for two millennia have, with some notable
exceptions, seldom been recognised as such by archaeologists.
Over recent years, however, rescue excavations of middle
Neolithic enclosure systems in Alsace have identified various
examples of this pseudo-ditch type of enclosure construction.
The first-hand observation of pseudo-ditches in the field was
achieved through the application of appropriate excavation
techniques, such as excavating ditches in a chequerboard
fashion to obtain a complete longitudinal profile. This
contribution provides a brief overview of five of the
enclosures excavated in Alsace between 2009 and 2013. It
focuses on what the material evidence from the enclosure
pseudo-ditches and accompanying features can tell us about
the activities that took place at these monuments.
https://rdcu.be/b3s6J (online pdf)
the finds from Colmar “Aérodrome” und Eckwersheim “Burgweg”
The Upper Rhine Valley does not belong to the core regions of the late Neolithic metallurgy,
even if metal is occasionally found in contexts of the Michelsberg and Munzingen
cultures. Two recent findings made in Alsace reveal important information concerning the
beginning of copper use in the Upper Rhine Valley. These new discoveries prompted us to
collate and study all the Neolithic copper artefacts previously found in Alsace and in
neighbouring areas and, where possible, to carry out new metallic trace-element analysis.
The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of the context and importance of that metallurgical industry in the Rhine valley based on two new discoveries. This work
suggests that we were already dealing with an established copper processing in Alsace and
the neighbouring areas in the (late) Neolithic, which had strong links to the Neolithic
metallurgy centre on Lake Zurich and Lake Constance.
probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps
during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary
assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen.The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the
most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration
of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already
been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the
mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the
corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and
sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals
decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg
and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai
necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig-
Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These
traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations
to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This
observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups
of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Abstract: The Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ necropolis in Lower Alsace yielded 29 tombs attributed to the Middle Neolithic. It was probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen. The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig- Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Zusammenfassung: In der Nekropole von Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ im Departement Bas-Rhin kamen 29 Gräber aus dem Mittelneolithikum zutage. Es wurde wahrscheinlich bereits im frühen Großgartach, am Ende des 48. Jh. v. Chr., angelegt und im Laufe von Rössen aufgegeben, vielleicht bereits im frühen Rössen, auf jeden Fall vor Mitte des 46. Jh. Die meisten Gräber, und darin besteht die bedeutendste Originalität dieses Bestattungsensembles, stammen aus der Phase Planig-Friedberg (dem letzten stilistischen Stadium der Großgartacher Kultur) und Rössen, Perioden, die im Bereich der Bestattungssitten in der Region noch sehr wenig dokumentiert sind. Das Gräberfeld besteht aus drei Arealen. Im ältesten Areal befinden sich alle Großgartach Gräber und ein Grab Planig-Friedberg. Die beiden anderen Areale werden im Planig-Friedberg angelegt, doch nur eines der beiden Areale wird noch im Rössen genutzt. Bis in die Rössener Phase sind die Gräber um drei unterschiedliche Pole gruppiert, dann konzentrieren sie sich in einem begrenzten Raum. Dieses Phänomen ist bereits von anderen Nekropolen der Region bekannt. Die Eingliederung der Nekropole von Obernai in den regionalen Datenbestand und die detaillierte Analyse der Bestattungsriten erlaubt es die Kontinuität des Rituals seit Großgartach zu unterstreichen, insbesondere was die Positionen und die Orientierungen angeht. Zudem konnte eine Reihe von Entwicklungen bezüglich der Frequenz und Art der Grabbeigaben aufgezeigt werden: einige Kategorien, wie die Mahlsteine/Läufer und die Sichelklingen verschwinden, während die Zahl der Pfeilspitzen und der Feuerschlagsteine steigt. Die relativ hohe Anzahl von Individuen mit Armreifen hat es uns ermöglicht zu bestimmen, wie diese den Frauen vorbehaltenen Schmuckelemente in der Periode von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen getragen wurden: über dem Ellenbogen und symmetrisch, was einen Bruch mit dem Großgartacher Stil darstellt. Eine weitere Originalität des Gräberfeldes von Obernai besteht darin, dass es Elemente der oberelsässischen und südbadischen Gruppen (oder Komponente „Süd“) von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen geliefert hat, wie die Planig-Friedberger Gefäße des Typs Forchheim und ihrer Rössener Epigone, zudem unregelmäßige Scheibenringe. Diese Merkmale in Verbindung mit zahlreichen Eigenschaften der niederelsässischen Gruppen (Komponente „Nord“ der Rössener Keramik, Orientierung nach Westen) erlauben es, das Gräberfeld von Obernai einer gemischten Gruppe zuzuordnen, bei der zwei unterschiedliche Traditionen nebeneinander bestehen. Diese Beobachtung stimmt mit den Keramikstudien überein, welche die stilistische Grenze zwischen den nördlichen und südlichen Gruppen der Rössener Kultur in der südlichen Oberrheinebene bei Obernai platzieren.
does knowledge of the archaeology with the radiocarbon dating of carefully chosen samples of
known taphonomy in association with diagnostic material culture. The risks of dating bone samples
are reviewed, along with a brief history of the development of approaches to the radiocarbon dating
of bone. In reply to Strien (2017), selected topics concerned with the emergence and aftermath of
the LBK are discussed, as well as the early Vinča, Ražište and Hinkelstein sequences. The need for
rigour in an approach which combines archaeology and radiocarbon dating is underlined.
human deposits found in circular pits on the southern
plain of the Upper-Rhine Valley and is based on recent data
from rescue excavations. The large regional corpus has allowed
the definition of a complex system of recurring patterns
whereby simple inhumations coexist with bodies found
in a splayed or disorderly manner which we interpret as
being »accompanying burials«. Evidence of post mortem
manipulation, as well as deposits of isolated bone, have been
observed. We now wonder, drawing heavily on recent and
spectacular evidence, about the existence of true human sacrifices.
Our interpretive model, when compared with the data
from other regions where the phenomenon of burial deposits
in circular pits occurs, allows us to construct a coherent system
which fits across the entire geographic distribution of
the deposits in circular pits.
Kochersberg, au nord et à l’ouest de Strasbourg. Le site de Vendenheim a livré les vestiges d’un habitat constitué
d’une vingtaine de fosses de plan circulaire contenant un abondant mobilier céramique illustrant l’ensemble de
la gamme des productions du Michelsberg ancien régional, période encore peu documentée et jusqu’ici reconnue
à travers des assemblages isolés. À l’écart de cet ensemble, dans un secteur proche du lieu-dit « Les Coteaux»
– où un dépôt animal du Michelsberg ancien a anciennement été documenté – a été fouillée une fosse de plan
circulaire contenant, sur deux niveaux de dépôt, les dépouilles d’un enfant et d’un canidé. Le site d’Achenheim
« Strasse 2 », qui n’a livré que peu de structures domestiques, se distingue par la présence d’un petit ensemble
funéraire constitué de quatre tombes localisées à l’écart de l’habitat. Les inhumations (corps allongés dans des
creusements oblongs et orientation au nord-ouest), attribuées à l’horizon chronologique Michelsberg ancien par
le radiocarbone, s’inscrivent dans la tradition funéraire régionale de la première moitié du Néolithique moyen
et témoignent de son maintien jusqu’à l’aube du 4e millénaire.
Zwischen 2013 und 2016 wurden im Norden und Westen von Straßburg am Kochersberg zwei neue Frühmichelsberger
Fundorte untersucht. An der Grabungsstätte Vendenheim wurden Reste einer Siedlung mit rund zwanzig kreisförmigen
Gruben freigelegt, die zahlreiche Keramikgegenstände enthielten. Das Inventar umfasst das gesamte Produktionsspektrum
der regionalen Frühmichelsberger Periode. Diese noch kaum dokumentierte Kultur konnte bisher nur vereinzelt
nachgewiesen werden. An einer weiteren Grabungsstätte in der Nähe der Ortschaft Les Coteaux, wo zuvor bereits
eine Frühmichelsberger Abfallgrube mit Tierresten nachgewiesen worden war, befand sich eine kreisförmige Grube, die
in zwei Abfallschichten die Überreste eines Kindes und eines Hundes enthielt. Am Grabungsort Achenheim „Strasse 2“
wurde neben wenigen Siedlungsresten eine kleine Grabanlage mit vier Gräbern abseits der Wohnhäuser gefunden. Diese
Grabstätten (gestreckte Körperlage, rechteckige Gruben, Nordwestausrichtung) konnten mit der Radiokarbonmethode
auf die Frühmichelsberger Kultur datiert werden; sie sind den regionalen Bestattungstraditionen der ersten Hälfte der
mittleren Jungsteinzeit zuzuordnen und belegen, dass sich diese Bräuche bis ins frühe 4. Jahrtausend hielten.
Achenheim Strasse 2 site, west of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) investigated
part of a ringed village, over an area of one hectare, attributed to the
Bruebach-Oberbergen horizon, an Epiroessenian group settled in
Lower Alsace between 4400 and 4250 BC. Most of the storage pits
discovered belong to this horizon (at least 211 and probably more
than 350), and a long section of enclosure outlining a segment of a
circle over 155 linear metres followed on from them, consisting of
a continuous V-shaped ditch, on average 1.70 metres wide and of
equivalent depth. The ditch was probably flanked on the inside by
an earthen embankment, as indicated by the asymmetrical profiles
of the fillings, and is interrupted twice by openings with structures
assimilated to fortified entrances. The construction of the enclosure
was carried out as a single project where only the entrances were
redeveloped, to varying degrees. The discovery of this enclosure,
identified as a defensive structure, marks an important stage
in research into regional Neolithic enclosures. Indeed, up until
now, such structures were only represented, from the Early
Neolithic to the end of the fifth millennium, by ‘Rosheim-type’
monuments, identified by recent research as ceremonial centres.
The number of excavations, the large volume of certain storage
pits and the surface covered by the enclosure (which we know extends over at least 3 or 4 hectares) suggest that the site hosted
a large population. This unprecedented configuration depicts the
organisation of the territory and of Bruebach-Oberbergen society
in a very different way from reconstructions based on regional
sites, which point rather to settlements composed of farms or small
scattered hamlets. We examine the historical context that led to the
emergence of this large fortified village and propose a correlation
with an episode of collective violence that affected Lower Alsace
around 4250 BC. This episode is illustrated at Achenheim itself
by very specific human deposits with vestiges of warrior rites
(victory celebrations). In addition to the important reconstruction
of the historical processes at work in the last third of the fifth
millennium, the relative abundance of exhumed material from
the site also provides the opportunity to better define the stylistic
evolution of pottery, to characterise lithic and bone tools, as well
as the husbandry system of the Bruebach-Oberbergen group.
Thus, rather than a progressive diffusion of the phenomenon from the Chassean towards Michelsberg, then towards the Danubian regions, we propose a polycentric model in which South and Central Europe evolve separately without necessarily interacting.
(2030-1900 av. J.-C), à une douzaine de kilomètres au nord-ouest de Strasbourg, nous amène à proposer un point d’étape sur
l’ensemble de la documentation disponible sur les pratiques funéraires du BzA1 en Alsace. Cet horizon chronologique, jusqu’ici très peu
documenté, a récemment bénéficié d’une série de découvertes, essentiellement réalisées entre 2017 et 2019 à l’occasion des opérations
d’archéologie préventive conduites sur le tracé du Contournement Ouest de Strasbourg. Le corpus régional, modeste (vingt tombes),
ne permet que des observations de portée limitée, mais plusieurs caractères spécifiques à la période peuvent être reconnus. Parmi eux,
la variabilité des orientations, se partageant entre un groupe NE-SO, majoritaire, et un groupe NO-SE. Le premier, également
majoritaire dans le groupe du Danube, en Bavière, rassemble des individus masculins et féminins déposés sur le flanc gauche et tête au
NE pour les premiers, et sur le flanc droit, tête au SO pour les seconds. Le second groupe d’orientations ne rassemble que des individus
déposés sur le flanc droit, tête au NO, dans lesquels nous proposons de reconnaître des individus féminins s’opposant aux individus
masculins non pas en vertu du principe de symétrie horizontale caractérisant le groupe des orientations NE-SO, mais en fonction d’un
principe de symétrie verticale, configuration qui semble propre au sud de la plaine du Rhin supérieur. Les dépôts de mobilier sont rares,
essentiellement constitués, comme à Truchtersheim, d’éléments de parures en matière dure animale, parfois accompagnés de rares objets
en métal ou en faïence. La composition des dépôts, rassemblant des objets ubiquistes, n’autorise pas l’identification formelle d’éventuels
réseaux connectant l’Alsace aux secteurs de peuplement d’Allemagne méridionale ou du sud-ouest. Cependant, en nous appuyant sur
l’analyse des orientations et sur leur évolution au cours du Bronze ancien, ainsi que sur d’autres éléments comme l’existence en Alsace de
structures de type Tottenhütten et de maisons de type Eching/Öberau, nous réitérons l’hypothèse d’un lien privilégié entre notre région
d’étude et le groupe du Danube de la culture de Straubing. Enfin, nous soulignons le manque de données régionales qui caractérise le
moment du passage entre le Campaniforme et les premières manifestations du Bronze ancien entre 2150 et 2000 av. J.-C., telles qu’elles
sont illustrées dans les proches nécropoles de Singen, dans le Bade, ou de Remseck-Aldingen, dans la vallée du Neckar.
par les porteurs de la Céramique cordée. Nous présentons dans cette contribution trois nouveaux habitats
(Achenheim, Gougenheim et Vendenheim), deux ensembles funéraires (Kolbsheim et Lingolsheim), étudiés lors
d’opérations d’archéologie préventive ou que de récentes datations radiométriques ont permis de réattribuer au
Néolithique final (Lingolsheim), ainsi qu’une petite série d’objets (armatures de flèche et poignards pressigniens)
recueillis lors de prospections de surface. Les structures d’habitat se limitent à quelques fosses attribuables au
Cordé ancien (Vendenheim) et final (Achenheim, Gougenheim) ayant livré des formes céramiques trahissant,
comme il est de règle dans la région, de fortes influences de Suisse orientale, mais également du Rhin moyen,
une donnée nouvelle qui nous permet de localiser une frontière culturelle entre deux groupes du Cordé tardif
dans le nord du plateau du Kochersberg. L’appartenance de deux tombes de Kolbsheim et la réattribution au
Cordé d’un petit ensemble anciennement fouillé par R. Forrer à Lingolsheim sont discutées. Enfin, la mise au
jour de nouveaux poignards pressignien nous permet d’aborder la question des influences occidentales à l’oeuvre
dans la région dans le second tiers du 3e millénaire av. J.-C.
still debated. The “Rhinocentric” hypothesis, dominating across the Rhine and often presented as the sole paradigm, considers the
Munzingen B as a regional evolution of the Late Michelsberg. Following C. Jeunesse, we oppose this hypothesis and propose instead the
principle of a phylum dating back to the transition between the 5th and 4th millennia, and consider the Munzingen as a culture that,
at its origin, had little connection to the Michelsberg. We base our hypothesis on a stylistic analysis supported by a new correspondence analysis that tends to show that the Late Munzingen of Baden and Lower Alsace (grouped here in the Northern Late Munzingen)
proceeds from an evolution of the Early Munzingen (Munzingen A) style. This latter can be synchronized based on an analysis of the
distribution maps and a set of mixed assemblages, with the Middle Michelsberg (MKIII), a culture with which it shares a border along
an axis linking Fribourg-en-Brisgau, in Kaiserstuhl, at Houssen, in Upper Alsace. We insist on the early integration of this geographic
sector given the emergence of the Munzingen style in the realm of influence linking central Europe to the Rhine Valley – influences
perceptible starting in the last third of the 5th millennium – and emphasize the stylistic proximity of the Early Munzingen with part
of the productions of groups then occupying the Upper Swabia and the shores of Lake Constance. Rather than a regional group derived
from the Early Michelsberg, a hypothesis supported by J. Lüning, we propose to identify in the Early Munzingen a style well-anchored
in a regional substratum (western Riegel and Bischheim group of the Late Upper Rhine), open to eastern influences, such as the
Hornstaad group, which was very present in the south of Baden and in Haute-Alsace, and whose role in the genesis of the Munzingen
was probably determinant.
The Early Munzingen extends across southern Baden (south of Kaiserstuhl and Markgräferland) and Upper Alsace, to the north of
the Sundgau plateau at Colmar. At around 3,850 BC, the two regions evolved separately. Under a Pfyn influence following from
Hornstaad contributions, in Baden the Early Munzingen evolved toward the Northern Late Munzingen style. Starting from this
core, and following the diffusionist thesis supported here, the Munzingen style successively took hold in the north of Kaiserstuhl, Lower
Alsace, Neckar and Wetterau, superseding the Michelsberg in these regions. In Upper Alsace, a region les exposed to the Pfyn influences
and closer to the Cortaillod groups of central Switzerland, the Munzingen A evolved toward the Southern Late Munzingen style
(formerly Munzingen A2), which was very similar to the Early Munzingen, which has been individualized only by recent radiometric
dates. To better understand this complex history and the existence of two entities that were clearly dissociated from 3,850/3,800 BC,
we propose to retain the Early Munzingen (MZA) designation for the assemblages originating from the shared foundation, but to
replace the MZA2 acronym, defining the Late Munzingen assemblages of Upper Alsace, with the name “Southern Late Munzingen.”
The Munzingen B, which is both a late style derived from the Early Munzingen and an expanding cultural group, could be defined as
the “Northern Late Munzingen”.
of the Linear Pottery culture settlements based on a series of precisely dated houses and on a Bayesian modelling
of numerous radiocarbon dates. The »orthogonal model«, similar in principle to the Hofplatz model but also
reflecting the row organisation observed at many sites, proposes the partition of the village, which displays a regular
division into quadrangular lots with successive buildings. These were rebuilt repeatedly (approximately every quarter of
a century) by the same social unit.
enclosures were discovered in Basse-Alsace, at the sites
of Meistratzheim, Entzheim and Duntzenheim, providing
the impetus for new research into this type of enclosure.
Previously, this form of ditched enclosure was only
represented in the southern Upper Rhine valley by the ditch
section at the site of Rosheim ‘Sainte-Odile’, excavated in
1991 (Jeunesse 1996a; 1996b; Jeunesse and Lefranc 1999).
The pseudo-ditch causewayed enclosures that flourished over
much of Europe for two millennia have, with some notable
exceptions, seldom been recognised as such by archaeologists.
Over recent years, however, rescue excavations of middle
Neolithic enclosure systems in Alsace have identified various
examples of this pseudo-ditch type of enclosure construction.
The first-hand observation of pseudo-ditches in the field was
achieved through the application of appropriate excavation
techniques, such as excavating ditches in a chequerboard
fashion to obtain a complete longitudinal profile. This
contribution provides a brief overview of five of the
enclosures excavated in Alsace between 2009 and 2013. It
focuses on what the material evidence from the enclosure
pseudo-ditches and accompanying features can tell us about
the activities that took place at these monuments.
https://rdcu.be/b3s6J (online pdf)
the finds from Colmar “Aérodrome” und Eckwersheim “Burgweg”
The Upper Rhine Valley does not belong to the core regions of the late Neolithic metallurgy,
even if metal is occasionally found in contexts of the Michelsberg and Munzingen
cultures. Two recent findings made in Alsace reveal important information concerning the
beginning of copper use in the Upper Rhine Valley. These new discoveries prompted us to
collate and study all the Neolithic copper artefacts previously found in Alsace and in
neighbouring areas and, where possible, to carry out new metallic trace-element analysis.
The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of the context and importance of that metallurgical industry in the Rhine valley based on two new discoveries. This work
suggests that we were already dealing with an established copper processing in Alsace and
the neighbouring areas in the (late) Neolithic, which had strong links to the Neolithic
metallurgy centre on Lake Zurich and Lake Constance.
probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps
during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary
assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen.The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the
most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration
of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already
been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the
mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the
corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and
sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals
decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg
and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai
necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig-
Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These
traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations
to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This
observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups
of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Abstract: The Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ necropolis in Lower Alsace yielded 29 tombs attributed to the Middle Neolithic. It was probably founded during the Early Grossgartach, at the end of the 48th century BC, and abandoned during the Roessen, perhaps during the Early Roessen, and in any case before the middle of the 46th century BC. The most original feature of this mortuary assemblage is that most of the tombs belong to the Planig-Friedberg period (the last stylistic phase of the Grossgartach) and the Roessen. The mortuary practices of these periods are still poorly known in the region. The necropolis is composed of three spatial groups, the most ancient of which contains all the Grossgartach tombs and one Planig-Friedberg tomb. It is at this moment that a concentration of graves in a single limited space succeeds the distribution of tombs around three distinct locations, a phenomenon that has already been observed in three other regional assemblages. The integration of Obernai in the regional corpus and the detailed analysis of the mortuary practices highlights the permanence of this ritual since the Grossgartach, in terms of the positions and orientations of the corpses and reveals changes in the frequency and artifact deposit types : some categories, such as grinding stones/rubbing stones and sickle blades disappear, while most of the arrowheads and fire-making equipment increases. The relatively high number of individuals decorated with bracelets enabled us to determine how these elements, reserved for women, were worn during the Planig-Friedberg and Roessen periods: above the elbow and in symmetry, in opposition to the Grossgartach style. Another unique feature of the Obernai necropolis is that it yielded elements belonging to Upper Alsacian and Southern Badois groups (or ’south’ groups) of the Planig- Friedberg and Roessen, such as Forchheim-type Planig-Friedberg vases and their Roessen epigones, as well as irregular ring-discs. These traits, mixed with a majority of features defining the Lower Alsace groups (northern component of the Roessen ceramics, orientations to the west), permit us to equate the Obernai necropolis with a mixed assemblage in which two distinct traditions coexisted. This observation supports the conclusions of the ceramic analyses, which place the stylistic border between the northern and southern groups of the Roessen of the southern plain of the Upper Rhine at the location of Obernai.
Zusammenfassung: In der Nekropole von Obernai ’Neuen Brunnen’ im Departement Bas-Rhin kamen 29 Gräber aus dem Mittelneolithikum zutage. Es wurde wahrscheinlich bereits im frühen Großgartach, am Ende des 48. Jh. v. Chr., angelegt und im Laufe von Rössen aufgegeben, vielleicht bereits im frühen Rössen, auf jeden Fall vor Mitte des 46. Jh. Die meisten Gräber, und darin besteht die bedeutendste Originalität dieses Bestattungsensembles, stammen aus der Phase Planig-Friedberg (dem letzten stilistischen Stadium der Großgartacher Kultur) und Rössen, Perioden, die im Bereich der Bestattungssitten in der Region noch sehr wenig dokumentiert sind. Das Gräberfeld besteht aus drei Arealen. Im ältesten Areal befinden sich alle Großgartach Gräber und ein Grab Planig-Friedberg. Die beiden anderen Areale werden im Planig-Friedberg angelegt, doch nur eines der beiden Areale wird noch im Rössen genutzt. Bis in die Rössener Phase sind die Gräber um drei unterschiedliche Pole gruppiert, dann konzentrieren sie sich in einem begrenzten Raum. Dieses Phänomen ist bereits von anderen Nekropolen der Region bekannt. Die Eingliederung der Nekropole von Obernai in den regionalen Datenbestand und die detaillierte Analyse der Bestattungsriten erlaubt es die Kontinuität des Rituals seit Großgartach zu unterstreichen, insbesondere was die Positionen und die Orientierungen angeht. Zudem konnte eine Reihe von Entwicklungen bezüglich der Frequenz und Art der Grabbeigaben aufgezeigt werden: einige Kategorien, wie die Mahlsteine/Läufer und die Sichelklingen verschwinden, während die Zahl der Pfeilspitzen und der Feuerschlagsteine steigt. Die relativ hohe Anzahl von Individuen mit Armreifen hat es uns ermöglicht zu bestimmen, wie diese den Frauen vorbehaltenen Schmuckelemente in der Periode von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen getragen wurden: über dem Ellenbogen und symmetrisch, was einen Bruch mit dem Großgartacher Stil darstellt. Eine weitere Originalität des Gräberfeldes von Obernai besteht darin, dass es Elemente der oberelsässischen und südbadischen Gruppen (oder Komponente „Süd“) von Planig-Friedberg und Rössen geliefert hat, wie die Planig-Friedberger Gefäße des Typs Forchheim und ihrer Rössener Epigone, zudem unregelmäßige Scheibenringe. Diese Merkmale in Verbindung mit zahlreichen Eigenschaften der niederelsässischen Gruppen (Komponente „Nord“ der Rössener Keramik, Orientierung nach Westen) erlauben es, das Gräberfeld von Obernai einer gemischten Gruppe zuzuordnen, bei der zwei unterschiedliche Traditionen nebeneinander bestehen. Diese Beobachtung stimmt mit den Keramikstudien überein, welche die stilistische Grenze zwischen den nördlichen und südlichen Gruppen der Rössener Kultur in der südlichen Oberrheinebene bei Obernai platzieren.
does knowledge of the archaeology with the radiocarbon dating of carefully chosen samples of
known taphonomy in association with diagnostic material culture. The risks of dating bone samples
are reviewed, along with a brief history of the development of approaches to the radiocarbon dating
of bone. In reply to Strien (2017), selected topics concerned with the emergence and aftermath of
the LBK are discussed, as well as the early Vinča, Ražište and Hinkelstein sequences. The need for
rigour in an approach which combines archaeology and radiocarbon dating is underlined.
human deposits found in circular pits on the southern
plain of the Upper-Rhine Valley and is based on recent data
from rescue excavations. The large regional corpus has allowed
the definition of a complex system of recurring patterns
whereby simple inhumations coexist with bodies found
in a splayed or disorderly manner which we interpret as
being »accompanying burials«. Evidence of post mortem
manipulation, as well as deposits of isolated bone, have been
observed. We now wonder, drawing heavily on recent and
spectacular evidence, about the existence of true human sacrifices.
Our interpretive model, when compared with the data
from other regions where the phenomenon of burial deposits
in circular pits occurs, allows us to construct a coherent system
which fits across the entire geographic distribution of
the deposits in circular pits.
Kochersberg, au nord et à l’ouest de Strasbourg. Le site de Vendenheim a livré les vestiges d’un habitat constitué
d’une vingtaine de fosses de plan circulaire contenant un abondant mobilier céramique illustrant l’ensemble de
la gamme des productions du Michelsberg ancien régional, période encore peu documentée et jusqu’ici reconnue
à travers des assemblages isolés. À l’écart de cet ensemble, dans un secteur proche du lieu-dit « Les Coteaux»
– où un dépôt animal du Michelsberg ancien a anciennement été documenté – a été fouillée une fosse de plan
circulaire contenant, sur deux niveaux de dépôt, les dépouilles d’un enfant et d’un canidé. Le site d’Achenheim
« Strasse 2 », qui n’a livré que peu de structures domestiques, se distingue par la présence d’un petit ensemble
funéraire constitué de quatre tombes localisées à l’écart de l’habitat. Les inhumations (corps allongés dans des
creusements oblongs et orientation au nord-ouest), attribuées à l’horizon chronologique Michelsberg ancien par
le radiocarbone, s’inscrivent dans la tradition funéraire régionale de la première moitié du Néolithique moyen
et témoignent de son maintien jusqu’à l’aube du 4e millénaire.
Zwischen 2013 und 2016 wurden im Norden und Westen von Straßburg am Kochersberg zwei neue Frühmichelsberger
Fundorte untersucht. An der Grabungsstätte Vendenheim wurden Reste einer Siedlung mit rund zwanzig kreisförmigen
Gruben freigelegt, die zahlreiche Keramikgegenstände enthielten. Das Inventar umfasst das gesamte Produktionsspektrum
der regionalen Frühmichelsberger Periode. Diese noch kaum dokumentierte Kultur konnte bisher nur vereinzelt
nachgewiesen werden. An einer weiteren Grabungsstätte in der Nähe der Ortschaft Les Coteaux, wo zuvor bereits
eine Frühmichelsberger Abfallgrube mit Tierresten nachgewiesen worden war, befand sich eine kreisförmige Grube, die
in zwei Abfallschichten die Überreste eines Kindes und eines Hundes enthielt. Am Grabungsort Achenheim „Strasse 2“
wurde neben wenigen Siedlungsresten eine kleine Grabanlage mit vier Gräbern abseits der Wohnhäuser gefunden. Diese
Grabstätten (gestreckte Körperlage, rechteckige Gruben, Nordwestausrichtung) konnten mit der Radiokarbonmethode
auf die Frühmichelsberger Kultur datiert werden; sie sind den regionalen Bestattungstraditionen der ersten Hälfte der
mittleren Jungsteinzeit zuzuordnen und belegen, dass sich diese Bräuche bis ins frühe 4. Jahrtausend hielten.
The study is about the ceramic of two regional groups of the ancient Neolithic in the south of the upper Rhine valley. A stylistic approach of the decorations coupled with factor analyses has enabled us to put forward new periodisations for each of these two groups occupying respectively Upper- and Lower Alsace and to relate the history of the settlements.The chronological relationships between the two entities could be established thanks to the existence of mixed sites lying along the bordering area near Colmar. The analysis of the decorations used in the two regions shows that the two groups have followed distinct penetration routes and have established contact for the first time in the border area during the early LBK. Comparisons with other groups of the early LBK make it possible to establish a connexion between the group of Lower Alsace with groups occupying the territories of the North-Western LBK ; apenetration route via the Danube and the Hegau region is suggested for the Upper Alsace group.
During the next stages, the Lower Alsace group appears to have had privileged relations with the North Western and Neckar provinces, while the Upper Alsace turned his attention to the Paris basin ; the numerore decorations shared by the Upper Alsace, the Marne valley and the Aisne valley (South-Western LBK) stress the importance of the genetic links between these different communities.
Other interaction phenomenoms could be brought to the fore, patricularly an input of poulations from the Aisne valley to Lower Alsace at the end of the late LBK.
The synchronisation between Alsace and the various stylistic groups of the Western LBK is based on the study of mixed pits
Cette rencontre fut la première jamais organisée sur ce thème, qui n’a suscité que peu de recherches depuis les années 1960. Elle répondait à un double besoin : rattraper, autant que faire se peut, une partie au moins du retard accumulé et mettre en perspective un certain nombre de découvertes réalisées ces dernières années, découvertes qui renouvellent largement la documentation disponible.
Ce volume comprend les 11 communications prononcées à l’occasion de la table ronde. Elles s’appuient pour l’essentiel sur des sites découverts lors d’opérations d’archéologie préventive réalisées par Antéa Archéologie, la PAIR et l’INRAP et couvrent l’Alsace (7 comm.), la Lorraine (3 comm.) et le Nord de la Franche-Comté (1 comm.).
Les sites présentés sont pour la plupart inédits et concernent, pour certains, des domaines qui étaient jusque là complètement vierges de trouvailles, par exemple la question de l’habitat campaniforme en Alsace. Des articles de synthèse présentent, en outre, l’état le plus récent des recherches sur les pratiques funéraires en Lorraine (Néolithique final et Bronze ancien) et en Alsace (Bronze ancien) ainsi qu’une esquisse de chronologie de la séquence Campaniforme – Bronze ancien en Alsace.
Un catalogue exhaustif des sites Cordés, Campaniforme et Bronze ancien connus pour le Sud de la Plaine du Rhin supérieur (Alsace et Bade), agrémenté de cartes de répartition et d’une bibliographie complète vient, enfin, compléter cet ouvrage appelé à faire référence pour la période couverte.
Ces enceintes recouvrent une grande diversité de formes (enceinte à pseudo-fossés, à fossés discontinu ou continu, palissadées ou non, pourvues ou non d’un talus interne etc.) et probablement, de fonctions (habitat, refuges, sanctuaire etc.). Ces points sont depuis longtemps débattus au cas par cas, aussi souhaitons-nous privilégier une approche synthétique du phénomène « enceinte » en abordant les questions de la chronologie, du phylum et de la typologie, en élargissant l’analyse à l’échelle des régions culturelles et en insistant particulièrement sur la question de la fonction de ces monuments selon une approche fondée sur l’ensemble des indices disponibles (localisation, architecture, restes humains, dépôts de faune, rejets domestiques, caractère des outillages etc.). Les hypothèses interprétatives devront être au cœur des débats.