Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

Ancient DNA sheds light on the funerary practices of late Neolithic collective burial in southern France

Résumé

In southern France, collective burials became widespread during the second half of the 4th millennium BCE. The social motivation underlying these practices remains largely discussed among scholars. The Aven de la Boucle (Corconne, Gard, Southern France) is a karst shaft that was used as a collective burial between 3,600 and 2,800 BCE. The site encompasses the skeletal remains of approximately 75 individuals, represented by scattered and commingled remains with a large majority of adult individuals. Here, we combined evidence from archaeology, anthropology, Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates and genomic data to shed light on the genetic profiles, relationships and funerary practices of this community. Among the 37 individuals analysed through the palaegenomic study, 76% were male, suggesting marked sex-biased selection. Additionally, available data stressed biological relatedness and the affiliation with specific male lineages as preponderant selection factors in the collective burial. This study enabled us to examine the use of this sepulchral cavity more precisely. Finally, we could argue in favour of “continuous” deposits between 3,600 and 2,800 BCE, carried out by the same community, despite cultural changes reflected by the material culture by combining Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates and genomic results. Thus, our study further illustrates the potential of multidisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of social structure and funerary rites of Neolithic groups.
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Dates et versions

hal-04828825 , version 1 (10-12-2024)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-04828825 , version 1

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Ana Arzelier, Harmony de Belvalet, Marie-Hélène Pemonge, Pauline Garberi, Didier Binder, et al.. Ancient DNA sheds light on the funerary practices of late Neolithic collective burial in southern France. The 2024 World Neolithic Congress, Nov 2024, Sanliurfa, Turkey. ⟨hal-04828825⟩
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