<< Our Photo Pages >> Neolithic sites of Villers-Carbonnel - Ancient Village or Settlement in France in Picardie:Somme (80)
Submitted by Andy B on Tuesday, 20 December 2011 Page Views: 7377
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Neolithic sites of Villers-CarbonnelCountry: France Département: Picardie:Somme (80) Type: Ancient Village or Settlement
Nearest Town: Péronne Nearest Village: Villers-Carbonnel
Latitude: 49.881900N Longitude: 2.920730E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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On the left bank of the Somme river, the archaeologists have uncovered vast fortification walls attributed to the Chassean culture (approximately 4300-3600 BC). The oldest one is delimited by a trench and a palisade enclosing a space of approximately 6 hectares. This wall is succeeded by another much longer one, also with a palisade, but with segments of trenches bordering its exterior. The enclosed surface covers more than 15 hectares, which is well above the 6 to 10 hectares usually encountered. It protected residences and numerous other structures, including buildings, trenches, postholes and kilns.
The archaeologists discovered the fragments of a statuette in a kiln whose clay roof had collapsed. They were able to refit the fragments to reconstruct the whole statuette which measures 21cm long. The wide, accentuated hips and the exaggerated buttocks create an imbalance between the thinner lower part of the body and the waist. The arms are suggested by two protuberances at the shoulders, but are not fully formed. The genitals are not represented, but the breasts are formed by the addition of small, slightly stretched clay balls. The head, which is composed of a simple cone, is very stylised and has no face.
It is a highly abstract representation of the female body, as we see in the wide hips and breast. The statuette of Villers-Carbonnel, like those discovered previously, is stylised and characterises a period during which there is a dissolution of figuration.
This discovery is exceptional both because of the integrity of the statuette and the rarity of such female representations in Middle Neolithic contexts (sites of Noyen-sur-Seine in Seine-et-Marne, Maisy in Aisne, Jonquière and Catenoy in Oise and Bercy in Paris). This type of statuette is not unique to the Chassean culture since they have been found in other cultures as well. The stylistic unity of these female representations, despite multiple differences between them, suggests a common ideological foundation with a Mediterranean origin.
Archaeologists have often interpreted these statuettes as symbolic representations of fertility that could have associated with ritual activities. From the Near East to the borders of Western Europe, much archaeological literature has been devoted to “mother goddess” cults, a concept that is now increasingly contested.
Between Compiègne and Aubencheul-au-Bac, the construction of the Seine-Nord-Europe canal will enable the circulation of barges from the Seine to Escaut. The canal is 106 km long and will traverse 66 communes in the Picardie (Oise and Somme departments) and Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Pas-de-Calais and Nord departments) regions. Over a surface of 2500 hectares, the canal will be 54 m wide. Since September 2009, 320 sites have been identified on the 1700 hectares tested for archaeological remains. The excavations, which began in March 2010, have revealed 77 archaeological sites. Currently, 31 excavations have been conducted or are in progress over a surface of 81 hectares. Approximately 100 excavations are planned before the earthwork phase of the project will begin. This work by INRAP is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2013.
The archaeological excavations carried out by the INRAP teams along the future Seine-Nord Europe canal have revealed sites extending from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Middle Ages, with variable occupation densities depending on the territories and periods. In addition to a few vague traces, the Neolithic is very well represented by the imposing fortification walls of Villers-Carbonnel, the three houses of Sauchy-Lestrée and the Early Neolithic settlement of Languevoisin-Quiquery.
Source: press release from INRAP, with thanks to Past Horizons for the translation.
View a multimedia presentation (in French) about the archaeology of the Seine-Nord-Europe canal project.
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