2023-12-21 13:00:09
It is a history of France which does not speak of kings or presidents, which is not segmented according to changes of dynasty or regime, which is also not punctuated by the dates of great battles. A story which, to tell the truth, is not told by texts, as is tradition, but comes only from the ground, from these clues of human societies buried either by the inhabitants themselves – for example in tombs –, either by the elements, or simply by the passage of time. A myriad of ancient plots brought to light during the numerous excavations carried out in France, in particular by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) over the past two decades, and which, brought together in an admirable work, draw the unprecedented portrait of a territory and those who have populated it over the millennia.
TALLANDIER
Since it involves exploring a territory, the choice of cartography was naturally obvious. Produced under the direction of Dominique Garcia and Marc Bouiron, respectively president and scientific and technical director of Inrap, this Archaeological Atlas of France represents a synthesis of thousands of excavations, the oldest of which date back to the 19th century. Their pace accelerated with the law on preventive archeology of 2001, which aims to preserve buried heritage through excavations prior to land development work.
The soil archives
Each map in the book represents a layer of our past and is accompanied by a summary text as well as photographs, plans and artist’s views to restore constructions or landscapes that have now disappeared. Everything is approached in large periods – since this “time chasm” from the Paleolithic to the contemporary world – and themes: what were the agricultural, artisanal, funerary, commercial practices, etc.? Along the way, we distinguish how socio-economic and cultural processes fit together thanks to these soil archives, whether they are carved stones, statues, ceramics and necropolises, or whether they are elements from the living, such as human skeletons. , remains of consumed fauna, seeds…
We can only be astonished by certain maps, such as the one which shows the circulation of precious objects in the Neolithic period, with in particular these alpine jade axes which we find as far as the tip of Brittany, or the progression from the practice of cremation in the Bronze Age, or the spread of the plague between 1347 and 1351, which is strangely reminiscent of the maps of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here we perceive another objective – and not the least important – of this work: to provide, through archaeology, another look at contemporary issues, whether it concerns the management of epidemics, changes in climate, the relationship with animals or even the development of cities.
“Archaeological Atlas of France”under the direction of Dominique Garcia and Marc Bouiron (Tallandier/Inrap, 336 p., €36).
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