Warcq chariot grave

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The wagon grave of Warcq , in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region , is located near the border with Belgium , in the Ardennes . It was discovered in 2013 near Warcq during construction work on the A304 autoroute between Charleville-Mézières and Rocroi .

The excavation that took place in summer 2014 revealed a well-preserved Gallic chariot grave . This type of burial begins in western central Europe around the 7th century BC. BC, but is not more common in the Ardennes until the Iron Age in the 5th to 4th centuries. Some indicators suggest the tomb was built in the late 2nd or early 1st century BC. Chr. ( La Tène D1). The 5.5 × 2.8 m grave was intact to a depth of more than one meter through preserved wooden walls. The collapsed wooden ceiling lay on the floor of the burial chamber, which helped to preserve the remains of the deceased and the grave goods.

The dead man was buried in a two-wheeled chariot (not a chariot , actually a ceremonial cart ), which was decorated with bronze coins and inlays made of yellow and blue glass. Sections of the cart, including the inner wheel rim, were decorated with gold leaf. Four horses belong to the burial. Two were placed in the western corners while the others lay under the yoke in front of the cart . A pig had been put down as food.

The deceased lay on the car body and wore a curved scabbard, a gold neck ring and a fibula as a coat clasp. He was given tweezers and an iron razor . Three ceramic vessels were smashed when the ceiling collapsed.

The presence of four horses and the scabbard folded in the middle are more common among the Celts of northern Italy and less so in Gaul .

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Coordinates: 49 ° 45 ′ 51.5 "  N , 4 ° 38 ′ 34.7"  E