Objets de piété figuratifs liés à diverses religions contemporaines et fabriqués en série : objets d'art, ou objets kitsch ? (Fig. 1) © A. Fourès Quelques-uns des moulages en plâtre des chefs-d'oeuvre de l'Antiquité gréco-romaine tels qu'ils sont exposés dans les galeries de l'Université La Sapienza à Rome. (Fig. 2) ©J.-P. Demoule La fouille du site paléolithique de Pincevent (ici l'unité J116), qui a marqué une date dans l'approche anthropologique des sociétés préhistoriques.

Abstract

The survey of nearly 700 sets of burial deposits, that is 4300 items, dating from La Tène A1 to La Tène D2 , in Picardy and on its fringes, has enabled us to establish a model allowing a hierarchical presentation of the data and of the various functional groups which appear in the graves, as well as facilitating a global approach. The personal possessions worn by or deposited alongside the deceased are represented by jewels, weapons, dress accessories and toilet or tool bags. Even if the social status of the deceased may be determined, in certain chrono-cultural levels, thanks to the type of accessories displayed, we cannot rely on any specific item which would indicate the position of the person in the group. Only the presence of weapons may attest both a social status and a military position. Diet is suggested both by edible goods and recipients belonging to table sets, or related to cooking and sometimes storage. Variations in shapes and numbers are typical here of changes in the way the pottery deposited in the burials was selected, and of the existence of different sorts of “ sets”, showing not only an evolution in dietary practices, but also a deliberate exercise of choice in the functions highlighted. The varied practical, functional and symbolic aspects observed in our corpus, in the periods from La Tène A1 to La Tène D2 in Picardy, are examples of the wide range of choice in the way the deceased were “ dressed up”, and in the offerings that accompany them. They also highlight some deep differences in the funerary rites which governed these offerings.