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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Saint-Dizier « la Tuilerie » (Haute-Marne) : trois sépultures d’élite du VIe siècle

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In 2002, excavations carried out by Marie-Cécile Truc (Inrap) at Saint-Dizier led to the discovery of four graves of exceptional wealth, containing a young woman, two men and a horse, dated to c. 525-550 AD. Dressed and adorned with numerous jewels, the young female was laid in a coffin upon which were placed vessels in glass, copper alloy goblet and ceramic. Each male had been buried in an excavated funerary chamber, built within an oak frame. They were laid in their coffins along with their personal clothing, including a ceremonial sword with two rings added to the pommel. The larger weapons (throwing axes, shields, lances and angons) as well as various utensils were placed either on the coffins or in the other parts of the funerary chamber. Finally, few meters away from this group of human burials, a horse had been deliberately buried in a pit. The horse burial contained no objects, but parts of a harness found in one of the male burial suggest that the horse may have belonged to the deceased.These graves exhibit characteristics – Morken-type chambers, swords with pommel rings, and the horse burial – which are significantly different from the funeral rites usually observed in the region. Indeed, most of the objects found at Saint-Dizier have distributions that are mainly centered in regions further to the north that were under Frankish control during the 6th century AD. All of these aspects indicate that the graves at Saint-Dizier can be linked to the archaeological phenomenon of the so-called ‘Chiefs’ graves of the beginning of 6th century. This phenomenon is represented by about fifty wealthy male burials – usually associated with equally wealthy female burials – which are characterized by a high level of similarity to each other both in the funeral rituals and in the arrangement of the deposits. The geographical locations of these burials illustrate the extent of Frankish expansion, leading some archaeologists to suggest that the elite who were buried in such splendour must have played a role in the conquest of Gaul by Clovis and his descendants.Were the buried people in Saint-Dizier Franks? This is not necessarily so much an ethnic question as one of social and political identity. The opulence and the ritual of these burials reflects a specific material culture that is a departure from what is usual in the surrounding cemeteries of the region. This shows a clear intention to demonstrate the adherence of the deceased to an elite or high social rank, following a very precise style of inhumation. This style is particularly found in the territories that fit closely with the edges of the first Frankish kingdoms from the end of the 5th to the 6th century AD