Marais de Saint-Gond

This article or section needs to be revised: A description of the marshland (lemma) is missing; instead, prehistoric find complexes are named whose connection with the marshland is unclear, as they are obviously located on rocky ground. The marshland is a Natura 2000 protected area and is accordingly well documented [1] , [2] .
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The swampy landscape

The Marais de Saint-Gond is located on the edge of the Paris basin , about 30 km south of Epernay in the Marne department in France . In the heart of the region, the marshes of Chenevry, Reuves, Oyes, Saint-Gond and Vert-la-Gravelle extend over a length of about 20 km and a width of 2.0 km .

prehistory

Razet grotto

In the region there are especially hypogea in the chalk cliffs, which were the subject of research in the 19th century. For the Neolithic Age (French Neolithique ancien ) more than 300 were listed. The between 3500 and 3000 BC Burials that took place in the 3rd century BC include up to 170 people (men, women and children). The Marne department comprises 169 hypogea, of which 123 are concentrated in the marshes of Saint-Gond and 16 are in the Côte des Blancs. Most of the sites were explored early and have not been carefully observed and recorded. The recently excavated Marne grottoes in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Mournouards II and in Loisy-en-Brie "Les Gouttes d'Or" provide clues about the burial and personal equipment of the deceased. The finds are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Saint-Remi Museum in Reims .

The mines

There are far more flint mines in the region than Neolithic burials. Prospecting and excavations have identified a mining complex with a total area of ​​nearly 400 hectares in 17 sectors. Between 2013 and 2017, mining in Vert-la-Gravelle "La Crayère" was the subject of the investigation. Three hypogea were buried in former mines (4300-3700 BC). Flint was still quarried while the Hypogaeus was in use.

The Neolithic habitats in the Marais de Saint-Gond are unknown, apart from a few old discoveries. Investigations ongoing since 2018 have identified the habitat of the Villeneuve-Saint-Germain group (VSG) of Villevenard. Four trapezoidal houses about 30.0 meters long have already been excavated. The finds consist of large quantities of flint , blades, slate bracelets, and ceramic and terracotta pieces from the wall cladding of the houses.

Web links

Commons : Marais de Saint-Gond  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Le Néolithique de la région des marais de Saint-Gond (Marne) (French)

Coordinates: 48 ° 49 ′ 7 "  N , 3 ° 50 ′ 35"  E