Les pratiques funéraires en Gaule lyonnaise de l’époque augustéenne à la fin du 3e siècle

Les pratiques funéraires en Gaule lyonnaise de l’époque augustéenne à la fin du 3e siècle aims to provide an overview of Roman burial practices in the Gallia Lugdunensis province during the Early Roman Empire.

Among the different approaches proposed by R. Reece for the study of Roman cemeteries, this work focuses on grave treatment and grave furnishing. The funerary practices are thus apprehended through the study of the structure of the tombs and the selection and treatment of the grave goods and human remains. The main objective was to propose a synthesis of the published finds which could serve as a basis for future research.

The analysis consists of a documentary review of the published data (presented in the catalogue and numerous tables) as complete as possible, accompanied by a detailed analysis of the latest information available to highlight trends regarding the entire province, and the peculiarities seen at a regional level. Many graphics and maps support this analysis.

Many general trends, common to the western provinces of the Roman Empire, were detected, but also many particularities linked to the regional nature of the funerary practices and the economic and social situation of the communities. Some of these particularities reflect more profound cultural differences due to the unequal penetration of Mediterranean funerary practices into the territory of the province. They reflect the somewhat 'artificial' formation of the Gallia Lugdunensis, which incorporated tribes belonging to different cultural spheres (sharing particularities with Aquitania and the Belgic Gaul or more exposed to the Mediterranean influences).