Women's grave of Cys-la-Commune
The Neolithic women's grave at Cys-la-Commune east of Soissons in the Aisne department on the edge of the Paris basin in France is one of the richest burials in the region. In a pit a young woman lies on her left side. Traces suggest that her body was sprinkled with red ocher . These are characteristic features of the linear ceramic culture ( French Culture rubanée ), but their typical ceramics are missing. A crane bone along the right forearm suggests a burial between spring and autumn, the time of the presence of this migratory bird in Europe. The burial at Cys-la-Commune near the Aisne is not isolated as other nearby burials have been destroyed.
It is characterized by the presence of spondylus jewelry . The woman wore a necklace of more than 350 small, flat, disc-shaped limestone beads , combined with eight large, tubular spondyle beads around her neck . The position of the two double-perforated spondylar valves (a feature of this culture) at the waist makes their function as belt fasteners likely. The woman wore two polished stone bracelets, one made of sandstone on the right arm and one made of limestone on the left arm. The stone arm rings date the grave to 4900 BC. The amount and quality of the jewelry given reflects the extraordinary character of the burial.
The burials of culture show a strong difference in prosperity, while the habitats provide less clear information about whether society was egalitarian or similar. The privilege of some men, women, but also children, is confirmed in the oldest Neolithic in Western Europe. Whether it is a question of political, social or spiritual power or different economic wealth, which establishes the primacy of certain individuals, is open.
Web links