6533b7d9fe1ef96bd126ca07

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Submersed in the water, buried in the ground: comparative studies on metal assemblages and single finds from french Iron Age non-funerary contexts (VIIIth - Ist cent. B.-C.)

subject

description

Metal hoards are emblematic discoveries of European protohistoric societies and therefore an extremely dynamic research theme. However, even though there are many synthetic studies concerning Bronze Age practices, they are much less frequent concerning Iron Age deposits. In fact, since 1995 (Kurz 1995), no synthetic inventory on this subject had been carried out despite the regular increase in the number of discoveries since the development and multiplication of preventive archaeological excavations. Under these conditions, it seemed important to update the data and this led to the completion of a master's degree on this subject in 2011 (Le Cozanet 2011). Since then, our research hasn‘t ceased, leading to the recording of an unpublished national inventory of more than 953 land and wetland votive deposits and hoards. The creation of this original inventory was a prerequisite to support previous analyses of the phenomenon and evolution of Iron Age metal deposits. These approaches had previously been compromised by the choice of unsuitable geographical scales (generally regional or departmental), often truncating ancient cultural spaces and leading to the study of the corpus too sparse to be properly analysed. Based on this data, we carried out a comparative study taking into account all the Iron Age metal deposits from wetlands and terrestrial areas, with the exception of purely monetary deposits. This research will be based on a method for describing deposits developed during our Master's work (Le Cozanet 2011, 2012, 2015) from the work of Fr. Pennors (2004-a) and K. Gruel and P. Pion (2009), based on their furniture assemblies. Thanks to this methodology, it is possible to compare all Iron Age deposition practices, term by term, by classifying them by chronological horizon, by discovery contexts (between wetlands and terrestrial environments) and by the type of assemblage. All of this leads to a three-point discussion on the place maintained by the deposits in their ritual and nearby geographical environment, the potential characterisation of domestic practices and, finally, on the notions of identity, traditions and legacies on the scale of the Iron Age. At the end of this work, we will demonstrate that the deposits are more complex than expected and that they possess intricacies in the overall daily life of protohistoric populations.