Geographical, archaeological, and historical context

1In the heart of the upper Verdon valley, the civitas of Eturamina extended between the modern villages of Thorame-Haute and Thorame-Basse (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France, fig. 1). The valley was incorporated into the Provincia Alpium Maritimarum in the second half of the 1st century AD and experienced major administrative and territorial changes during Late Antiquity. The name of the town is first mentioned in 442 at the Council of Vaison, where it refers to the seat of the diocese. However, it quickly disappears from the written evidence, suggesting an ephemeral bishopric that was rapidly absorbed by the seat of Senez in the 6th century (Morabito 2010: 44).

Fig. 1. Location of Saint-Pierre 2 and the principal reference funerary sites.

2An interdisciplinary research programme aimed at reconstructing the population dynamics of the Thorame area led to the discovery of the Saint-Pierre 2 site on the eponymous plateau. Overlooking the Issole valley (fig. 2), it is accessed via a pass where the ruins of a chapel are located (Saint-Pierre 1; 1,270 m). The site of Saint-Pierre 2 is 250 m further up the mountain, on an intermediate terrace (1,305 m). The final occupation phase comprises a funerary zone dated to between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 7th century.

Fig. 2. View from the north of the Saint-Pierre plateau and the Issole valley.

1. The site of Saint-Pierre 2: background and study procedure

3The first discoveries were made in the 1950s and then in 2007, when several tombs were revealed by ploughing. In 2019, an initial excavation campaign using an archaeothanatological approach (Boulestin and Duday 2006) offered an opportunity to document funerary practices in an Alpine context. This interdisciplinary approach involved analysis of skeletal remains (age, sex, health condition) and archaeological data (grave goods, burial features, tomb placement).

4The archaeological data indicate that the site was used over a long period, starting in the Early Bronze Age, but punctuated by periods of abandonment. A residential settlement in the last centuries BC was followed during the High Roman Empire by the construction of two buildings of still unknown function. After a period of abandonment and destruction dated to the 3rd century, the area was reoccupied in Late Antiquity.

2. The Late Antique funerary site

2.1 Establishment and chronology

5The funerary area comprises 35 tombs, 27 of which have been excavated (fig. 3). Seven other contexts confirm that the funerary area extended towards the east. Based on the grave goods and radiocarbon dating, the funerary occupation dates from between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 7th century.1

Fig. 3. Site plan of the funerary area.

6The sample studied consisted of 26 primary individual burials and one context containing the incomplete remains of five individuals (SP 21). The individuals included 16 adults (seven women, three men, and six unidentified) and 10 juveniles, with all age groups represented except adolescents.

2.2. Burial features

7Although the tombs are not oriented according to a fixed pattern, the position of the bodies is more standardized: adults were buried on their back with the lower limbs stretched out, with the exception of one individual who was lying on the right side with the legs flexed. Among the children, only one, a perinatal infant, was also buried lying on the side with folded legs, a position caused by swaddling.

8The primary individual burials show evidence of initial decomposition in a hollow space, as well as significant variability in their configuration (fig. 4). Eight tombs contained cists, wholly or partially made of tegulae, sometimes with another building material as well. One cist was built of blocks and rubble, forming a container that probably had a cover (SP 27). The other features suggest the use of perishable materials such as wood (for the cover or cist). Most of the bodies were protected by a soft wrapping. Shrouds were used in five of the adult tombs, while for two of the juveniles the soft wrappings may indicate swaddling (SP 13 and SP 9). Shoe nails found in four adult tombs are evidence of clothed inhumations (fig. 5).

Fig. 4. Variability of burial features for adult individuals.

2.3. Adornment and grave goods

9Items of adornment were found in the tombs of six adults and four juveniles. They are best represented in the tombs of adult women. The most numerous items are bracelets, but earrings were also found. The young woman in SP 29 was wearing a copper alloy bracelet and ring, as well as another bracelet of amber and glass beads.

10The young children were adorned with the same types of jewellery as the adults, as well as amulets or pendants that probably had an apotropaic function. Tomb SP 9 contained the most striking grave goods, comprising a bead necklace and a glass medallion decorated with an image frequently associated with the Thraco-Phrygian god Attis or Sabazios, interpreted as a pilgrimage souvenir. The tombs of the youngest individuals also produced a perforated upper right canine from a deer and two bracelets, as well as another glass bead necklace.

Fig. 5. Grave goods and items of adornment found in the burials.

11Grave goods are relatively rare, in line with regional trends. They were found in three adult graves, always next to the feet of the deceased. Two tombs contained ceramic vessels (fig. 6), in one case together with a glass goblet and part of a pig’s foot, and in the other case with an iron oil lamp. In another tomb, a lamp was found with a metal rod that was probably used as a suspension system.

3. The site of Saint-Pierre 2 in its Alpine environment

12These first unprecedented data from a mountain site raise questions about the sociocultural identity of this population. The sample suggests a funerary space used by a small village community living nearby. The funerary practices are similar to those identified at other sites in the region (varied tomb characteristics and few grave goods). Only the personal objects testify to socioeconomic connections between the Alpine zones and the valleys. Moreover, these deposits probably reflect a form of local, popular piety.

13The data point to a funerary area in a mountainous zone that was used for a limited time between the 5th and the beginning of the 7th century. The abandonment of the site suggests that the funerary zone was moved somewhere else: either to the eastern edge of the plateau, where signs of tombs have been found, or to another part of the plateau, particularly around the Saint-Pierre chapel. The presence of the chapel demonstrates the continued existence of a population hub into the Medieval period.

Conclusion and prospects

14The discovery of these remains, relatively unusual in the southern Alps, combined with a broader reflection on the characteristics and funerary practices of Alpine populations, demonstrates the potential of these mountainous sites in a largely unexplored area. The Saint-Pierre plateau was occupied for a millennium because of its favourable location, both for the establishment of a clustered settlement and for the exploitation of the land. While this is clearly illustrated by one of the population centres of the ephemeral civitas of Eturamina, the other discoveries in the valley show that it was not the only one.