6533b823fe1ef96bd127e8a3

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Commensality in the Late Bronze Age : places and practices : the contribution of recent discoveries in the south-east of the Paris Basin

subject

description

This doctoral dissertation uses data from the extensive preventive archaeological research carried out in the Upper Seine Valley in the south-east of the Paris Basin for at least five decades an area where Bronze Age and Early Iron Age sites are numerous and generally well preserved. The 2005 excavation by Inrap of the Villiers-sur-Seine site "le Gros Buisson", an "unusual" settlement dating to the final phase of the Late Bronze Age (9th century B.C.) is the main focus of this study, having shed new light on domestic contexts of this pivotal period. This fortified aristocratic dwelling is characterised by an organised plan, abundant artefacts, as well as the unusual consumption of young pigs and game during collective feasts that were held in the settlement. Regular and seasonal commensal events seem to have been hosted over a relatively short period, probably equating to less than a hundred years.The study of this major and atypical site brought to light the notion of feasting in the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, a fascinating subject that has not yet been the focus of research in France. It therefore seemed appropriate to discuss commensality in greater depth for this period, using data from the Villiers-sur-Seine settlement within the wider context of contemporary occupations with the aim of understanding the role of these high status sites such as Villiers-sur-Seine in the socio-political organisation of the area.I will develop this work in three parts. I firstly aim to establish a critical bibliographical assessment of commensality and feasting from available archaeological and ethnographic works in order to define an appropriate approach of how to identify feasting in the archaeological record. Secondly, a detailed inventory of Late Bronze Age sites in the south-east of the Paris Basin will provide new data on which to test this analysis, with the aim to develop new interpretations. Lastly, I will use the analysis of sites excavated within the framework of preventive archaeology to better understand the role of these collective events in the social construction of Late Bronze Age communities in the south-eastern Paris Basin.