French archaeologists hailed the “exceptional” discovery of the 2,000-year-old remains of a child buried with animal offerings and what appears to have been a pet dog.
The child, believed to be about a year old, was buried in the early 1st century, during Roman rule, in an 80 cm long wooden coffin made with nails and marked with a decorative iron tag.
The coffin was placed in a 2 meter by 1 meter pit and surrounded by about 20 objects, including a series of miniature terracotta pots and glass pots that supposedly contained oils and medicines, half a pig, three hams and other cuts of pig, and two headless chickens.
The tomb was discovered during an excavation at a site at Clermont-Ferrand airport in central France, to allow a development project to continue.
Archaeologists said they also found an ornamental copper pin used to attach a shroud and a 30 cm iron ring attached to a bent metal rod, believed to be a toy. The tip of the stick had been tucked between the legs of a puppy placed at the deceased’s feet outside the coffin. The young animal wore a collar with bronze ornaments and a small bell.
Those at the dig said they were particularly moved to find a baby tooth belonging to an older child, who may have been a baby brother, placed on a fragment of broken shell.
Adults were generally cremated in Roman Gaul, which included what is now France, Belgium and parts of neighboring countries, but children were often buried on the family’s property, suggesting that there was a sizable village nearby.
“The articles that accompany this deceased are absolutely exceptional, both in quantity and in quality,” stated the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP). “Such a profusion of crockery and quartered items, as well as the personal effects that accompanied the child to the grave, underline the privileged position to which his family belonged. The association of a dog with a small child is well documented in a funeral context, but here it is the collar and bell that are unusual ”.
It is reported to be the oldest and most important finding of a child’s grave in France. An older tomb, believed to date from the Roman conquest of Gaul several decades earlier, contained several weapons, suggesting that its occupant was a soldier.
Laurence Lautier, responsible for the excavation of Clermont-Ferrand, said the discovery was “unusual because of the profusion of vessels and offerings. In this type of tomb, we often find one or two pots placed at the foot. There are about 20 here, as well as many food offerings. “
She told AFP that the number of objects in the tomb suggested “a certain social status … a family that was clearly very wealthy” and that the vases and pots should contain “the child’s share of food and drink at the funeral banquet”.
The excavation of more than 3.5 hectares (7.4 acres) launched a variety of objects from the iron age to antiquity and the Middle Ages, as well as more modern artifacts.
Tests are being carried out on the containers found in the grave to determine what they contained. The excavation is expected to continue until February.