Pratiques et espaces funéraires :la crémation dans les campagnes romaines de la Gaule Belgique.

This study is based on three rural funerary sites of the Mediomatric, Leucic, and Atrebatic territories, respectively Mécluves (Moselle), Contrexéville (Vosges), and Loison-sous-Lens (Pas-de-Calais). The archaeological and anthropological analysis of the funerary structures and the bones allows for a highly specific view of funerary practices which, when seen in the context of data from many other sites, gives a broad perspective on death in Gallia Belgica.
A data-base has been formulated to catalogue and characterize the burial sites in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Lorraine regions. On the basis of this documentation, the first part of the study deals with the funerary spaces in their landscapes – especially in relation to dwelling places and other structures (paths and tracks, land-divisions). A second aspect is the organization of the funerary spaces themselves: their material elements, their extent, and the arrangement of the tombs and ancillary structures. The tombs themselves are treated in a detailed way in order to differentiate among the cremation areas, secondary graves, and adjacent structures pertaining to the funerary rites that accompanied the dead. Finally, bone-analysis are seen in light of archaeological data (especially the funerary furniture and paraphernalia) gives a broad view of the management of the cremation and funerary spaces in these regions.