ROMAN DISCOVERIES AT ANCIENT AUGUSTODUNUM
Minerva|January/February 2021
More than 230 graves have been uncovered at a necropolis in the French city of Autun, revealing a diverse mix in burial practices over a period of nearly 200 years, as well as luxury grave goods from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD that highlight the wealth of some of its ancient inhabitants.
ROMAN DISCOVERIES AT ANCIENT AUGUSTODUNUM

The site in the Saint-Pierre-l’Estrier quarter of Autun, or Augustodunum as it was known in antiquity, was explored in the summer of 2020 by archaeologists from Inrap in collaboration with the Autun City Archaeology Service. The large necropolis emerged around AD 250 when the three main necropoleis in the city were in decline. Why there was this shift remains unclear, but the new necropolis provided evidence of higher social diversity. It was also a time when Christianity was on the rise.

Excavations directed by Carole Fossurier found a range of different burial practices. There were mausoleums, a wooden building, and a tile structure, which resembled burials of the early empire, as well as five sandstone sarcophagi and 15 lead coffins.

This story is from the January/February 2021 edition of Minerva.

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This story is from the January/February 2021 edition of Minerva.

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