The Middle and Late Neolithic settlement of Saint-Julien-lès-Metz in Moselle, Lorraine (abridged version) Structure, material culture, animal and plant resources

Description

The preventive archaeological excavation of Saint-Julien-lès-Metz took place some twenty years ago, and the artefacts were completely restudied following the publication of this relatively well-preserved site. The site as a whole illustrates three Neolithic periods from sometimes unprecedented angles, and represents a major contribution to our understanding of village communities in Lorraine. The three recognised settlements span the 5th to 3rd millennia and are separated by chronological gaps. The first documented occupation dates back to the first part of the Middle Neolithic. The main features of this period are two buildings and a succession of polylobed pits, typical of sites from the Grossgartach culture. They provide an unprecedented vision of a structured plateau settlement. The second is dated to the second half of the Middle Neolithic. A sequence of polylobed pits is the only remaining feature of a Bischheim settlement. These structures are recurrent features on contemporaneous Lorraine sites. The last occupation dates from the Final Neolithic. A combustion structure and a silo are the only remaining elements of a probable Bell Beaker settlement.

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