Opening details

Archaeologists initially considered it an early Middle Ages cemetery, as a seventh-century chapel once stood here. However, archaeodunum, an archaeological company that carries out excavations on behalf of regional authorities, writes that the later discovery of much older graves forced scientists to change the estimates.

• The oldest tomb here dates back to B.C. third century ADLate Roman period.
• The 10 plaster sarcophagi date to the early period of Frankish Merovingian rule, which lasted from approximately 476 to 750.
• The last burial dates back to the 10th century, indicating that the cemetery had been in use for approximately 700 years.

The owner found the first grave last winter. Now archaeologists have excavated 38 four-room tombs of 52 square meters in the area, but the work has not been completed yet.

Excavations / Photo Archeodunum

Excavations / Photo Archeodunum

Excavations / Photo Archeodunum

This house in the Montconcel district in the commune of Corbay-Essonne in the southern suburbs of Paris is believed to have been built on the site of the medieval chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Champs. an even older pagan temple.

Early medieval tombs have previously been found nearby, but no trace of a chapel or temple has been found. So the chapel cemetery is being investigated for the first time.

It is stated that most of the graves are arranged in parallel rows. Dating back to Roman times, the dead were buried on their backs in wooden casings that have since decayed. However, the 10 dead in the Merovingian tombs were buried in characteristic plaster sarcophagi arranged side by side in a fan shape.

Plan of the basement and tombs / Archaeodunum photo

One of the sarcophagi was originally covered with a figural stone block, now it has been broken into pieces and a flower and two crosses appear to have been carved into its surface. Archaeologists say such motifs were common on Merovingian sarcophagi and outside Christian places of worship at the time.

A cross and a stylized flower engraved on the slab covering the tomb / Photo: Archaeodunum

Merovingian sarcophagi that archaeologists have found elsewhere are often decorated and contain the remains of more than one person at a time. However, most of the sarcophagi in this basement were unadorned and each contained the remains of only one person.

The age of the oldest graves shows that: People were buried here long before the medieval chapel was built there.

What’s next?

Now skeletons Will be examined in the laboratory. Archaeologists hope to determine the gender and age of the individuals buried, as well as signs of living conditions such as health status and general diet at the time of death.

Archaeologists hope the burial site will enable them to better understand the population that lived near the site during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages and how burial customs changed over time.