Archaeologists have brought to light the most extensive remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery in France. Only a few remaining physical traces are known to remain — mainly gravestones now held in museums. Watch a video in French about the discovery scroll down on linked page. Fieldwork revealed that the [newly revealed] graves were organized in parallel rows in which burials west-east were carried out very closely with little overlap. This arrangement reflects rigorous management of the funeral space and implies the presence of surface signage probable stone steles, not found during the excavation.
Both excavations took place at what had been presumed to be the site of the medieval Jewish cemetery, based on an 18th century map. The latest excavations had been undertaken to. The study and analysis of the data will allow comparisons with the other rare French and European examples. In the long term, the hope is to be able to deliver to archaeologists keys to the recognition of these funeral spaces during preventive diagnoses by indicating the elements which make it possible to identify the main characteristics of medieval Jewish cemeteries.
The study of funeral practices would thus make it possible to distinguish Jewish, Christian and possibly Muslim cemeteries Iberian Peninsula for example. Read an article about Jewish cemeteries in France. Click here to see a video about the excavations, with detailed explanation of the discoveries in French. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Prev Previous. Next Next. The latest excavations had been undertaken to confirm the link of this cemetery with the Castelroussine Jewish community, study its organization by acquiring a greater number of burials, analyze the funeral practices associated with the deceased, determine the composition of the buried population ages, sexes, health status, etc.
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