L'enclos cultuel de Corent (Puy-de-Dôme) : festins et rites collectifs / The ritual enclosure of Corent (Puy-de- Dôme) : feasting and ceremonials

Abstract

Renewed excavations on the sanctuary of Corent have revealed a rectangular enclosure, preceding a monumental gallery from the roman period. The ditches produced many finds, mainly sheep bones and amphorae sherds dating back to the 1st Century B.C. (La Tène D2). Such deposits characterise, better than weapons or coins, cultual activities punctuated by public feasts with animal sacrifices and wine libations. The parallel with recent discoveries brings to light a new pattern of gallic sanctuary, specifically dedicated to feasting. Detailed study of the deposits allows a precise analysis of these ceremonials. Their relationship with other objects (weapons, ceramic and metal vessels, coins, tokens, rings, brooches...) reveals the role they played in the political organisation and evolution of the Arverni territory in the late Iron Age. Probably founded in the 2nd century B.C., the enclosure was removed during the roman Conquest to make room for the monumental development of the sanctuary, that lasted until the 3rd century A.D.

Geoarchaeology and chronostratigraphy of the Lac du Puy intraurban protohistoric wetland, Corent, France

“…Unfortunately, the plateau is afflicted by severe soil erosion and truncation of deposits, a process which probably began in the Mid-Neolithic, when the first palynological evidence of forest clearance and agriculture appears . In some instances this has resulted in a poor preservation of archaeological sediments, especially those preceding the La Tène D period (Poux et al, 2016). The Lac-du-Puy, an ancient pond located in the lowest part of the plateau within the extension zone of the LBA 3 and La Tène settlements, offers a well-preserved intraurban sedimentary record ( Figure 1C).…”

Carbonised wooden objects and wood charcoal from an Iron Age feasting context in North-western Iberia: The case study of Frijão (Braga, Portugal)

“…There are examples of sites across Europe, namely in France (Poux et al 2008;Poux et al 2002;Daveau and Yvinec 2002;Dietler 1999) and in Britain (Pitts 2005) where huge quantities of faunal remains and pottery fragments were recovered from pits or ditches. These sites have been interpreted as places linked to rites of commensality or cult.…”