Worn, altered, or repaired grave goods for the dead. Late Antiquity examples from Aube—abridged version
p. 145-153
Résumés
Preventive archaeology research carried out in recent years in Champagne and particularly in Aube (10), has led to the discovery of several necropolises of the Lower Empire, whose grave goods have been systematically analysed. In addition to studying chronological information and their position in the tomb, these artifacts have also been examined from a functional perspective.
The recurrent presence of second-hand or altered objects is significant and their role and value in the ritual requires attention. Although these grave goods do not occupy a specific place in the burial deposit, they seem to be associated with assemblages representative of the deceased, containing elements with emotional, symbolic, and cultural connotations. The examples chosen show that these pieces may, therefore, characterize not the status of the deceased in the social hierarchy, but the importance attached to that person by their family or even the entire community.
Les recherches en archéologie préventive menées ces dernières années en Champagne et notamment dans l’Aube (10), ont permis la découverte de plusieurs nécropoles du Bas-Empire dont le mobilier a fait l’objet d’une analyse systématique : outre l’information chronologique et leur position dans la tombe, ces artefacts ont aussi été examinés sous un angle fonctionnel. Ainsi la présence récurrente d’objets de seconde main ou réformés est significative et la question de leur rôle et valeur dans le rituel se pose. Ces mobiliers n’occupent pas une place spécifique dans le dépôt, cependant ils semblent être liés à des assemblages représentatifs du défunt, contenant des éléments à caractère affectif, symbolique et culturel. Les exemples choisis démontrent que ces pièces pourraient ainsi caractériser non pas le statut social hiérarchique du défunt, mais l’importance qui lui a été donnée par la sphère familiale, voire par la communauté toute entière.
Entrées d’index
Mots-clés : Antiquité, Gaule, Aube, inhumations, dépôt funéraire, traces d’utilisation, second choix (ou raté de cuisson), structure sociale
Keywords : Antiquity, Gaul, Aube, inhumations, funerary deposit, traces of use, low-quality objects (or badly made), social structure
Note de l’éditeur
This article is not a translation but an abridged version of the French article “Des mobiliers usagés, réformés, réparés pour les morts. Exemples aubois au cours de l’Antiquité tardive”. Translated and edited by Cadenza Academic Translations.
Texte intégral
1The analysis of grave goods found in the inhumations comprising the eighteen late Aube necropolises discussed in this article has established that some grave goods had been altered. Classifying the finds reveals the variety of types of manipulation and the frequency of ceramic, glass, or metal objects that are marked with signs of wear, repair, reuse, or mutilation.
2The question arises of why these altered objects were deposited in tombs. Were they used to express the inferior social status of the deceased? Did they indicate the community’s lack of interest in the person? Do they represent a direct link with death?
3The alterations were mostly carried out while the objects were in use. The majority of objects retained their primary function in the tomb, but in some cases there are signs that objects were deliberately repurposed in a way that seems to have a practical function.
4Low-quality objects are frequent and retain their full functionality. They include local terra-cotta pieces with minor defects, hybrid glass vessels with a mixture of morphological characteristics, and imported ceramics, including some rare items, with significant deformities. These latter were designed for use at the table but are never found in the dwellings in our study area. They seem, therefore, to have been acquired for funerary purposes.
Fig. 5. Low-quality ceramic grave goods.

1. F33, Villenauxe-la-Grande (A. Ahü-Delor, Inrap BFC); 2. F28, Saint-Benoît-sur-Seine (J.-M. Piotte, Musées de Troyes).
5Ritual damage is different. It affects the integrity of the object without seeking to downgrade its function: a longitudinal cut, removal of the neck, cutting in half.
6These second-hand or badly made grave goods do not occupy a specific place in the deposit. Nevertheless, they seem to be associated with particular assemblages, often representative of the deceased and containing objects with emotional, symbolic, or cultural connotations, regardless of their condition. The examples selected show that these grave goods may, therefore, characterize not the status of the deceased in the social hierarchy, but the importance attached to that person by their family or even the entire community (Degobertière 2008; Gestreau, Jemin 2011; Paresys et al. 2017).
7The presence of second-hand or low-quality objects is not an anomaly, but a reflection of the low importance of these items for storing food and of a particular attachment to personal objects. These, which sometimes have strong emotional value, demonstrate the importance of material and/or symbolic transmission for the group or family.
Fig. 7. Repaired drinking vessel from tomb 289 in Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres.

G. Basset, SRA Champagne.
Bibliographie
Degobertière 2008 Desbrosse-Degobertière S., Saint-Parres-aux-Tertres (Aube) Champ Reignes. DFS, Metz, Inrap GEN, 437 p.
Gestreau, Jemin 2011 Gestreau R., Jemin R., Arcis-sur-Aube « Le Prieuré ». Un ensemble funéraire et cultuel gallo-romain, in Bulletin de la Société archéologique champenoise, 103 p. 5-212.
Paresys et al. 2017 Paresys C, Ahü-Delor A., Louis A., Fort B., Auxiette G., Wiethold J., Culot S., Loiseau S., Vanquelin E., Brunet M., Cabart H., « Deux tombes féminines, atypiques et privilégiées de la nécropole du Bas-Empire d’Arcis-sur-Aube (Champagne-Ardenne) », in Achard-Corompt N., Kasrpzyk M., Fort B. (Eds.), L’Antiquité tardive dans l’Est de la Gaule II. Sépultures, nécropoles et pratiques funéraires en Gaule de l’Est. Actualité de la Recherche, ATEG Conference Proceedings (Châlons-en-Champagne, 16-17 septembre 2010), Dijon, RAE, 512 p. (41st supplement for the Revue Archéologique de l’Est), p. 235-261.
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Death and the Societies of Late Antiquity
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