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Between stone and ash: Combined method study of Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BC) cremation and funerary practices in Dolmen A, cairn of Goasseac’h, Brittany, France

Entre pierre et cendre : étude combinée de la crémation et des pratiques funéraires au Néolithique moyen (4500-3500 av. J.-C.) dans le dolmen A du cairn de Goasseac’h, Bretagne, France
Anastasija Brančić, Florian Cousseau, Astrid Suaud-Préault, Valérie-Emma Leroux et Marie Besse

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1The Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BC) in Brittany is predominantly associated with megalithic funerary practices, characterized by collective inhumations within coastal chambered tombs. Moreover, the region is often noted for the absence of preserved bones due to soil acidity. The multi-chambered cairn of Goasseac’h, near Carhaix-Plouguer in Central Brittany, challenges these patterns. One of its nine passage tombs, Dolmen A, presents an exceptional case: a cremation deposit arranged within a structured setting of stones. Given the rarity of cremation during this period, particularly in megalithic tombs, and the distinctive character of the deposit, this discovery provides new insights into Neolithic mortuary customs and raises questions concerning regional burial traditions. The present research integrates anthropological analysis of the cremated remains with spatial analysis of their distribution and associated artefacts, and situates these results within a comparative framework drawing on evidence from Brittany and beyond. The combined analyses provide insights into the treatment of the body during cremation, its biological profile, and the preserved skeletal elements. They also highlight the importance of integrating spatial and osteological analyses, demonstrating the intentional structuring of the deposits and revealing patterned practices in the disposition of the body within a monumental funerary architecture. By placing Dolmen A in the broader context of Middle Neolithic Brittany and the wider European megalithic phenomenon of the 5th millennium BC, this study emphasizes both local variability in burial practices and the broader significance of cremation in collective monuments. The results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the social, ritual, and symbolic dimensions of Neolithic burial customs.

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Anastasija Brančić, Florian Cousseau, Astrid Suaud-Préault, Valérie-Emma Leroux et Marie Besse, « Between stone and ash: Combined method study of Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BC) cremation and funerary practices in Dolmen A, cairn of Goasseac’h, Brittany, France »Bulletins et mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris [En ligne], 38(S) | 2026, mis en ligne le 16 décembre 2025, consulté le 06 mars 2026. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/16745 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/15hhg

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Auteurs

Anastasija Brančić

Laboratoire d’archéologie préhistorique et anthropologie, Département F.-A. Forel des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Environnement, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Genève, Genève, Suisse ; anastasija.brancic[at]etu.unige.ch

Florian Cousseau

Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom

Astrid Suaud-Préault

CReAAH UMR 6566, CNRS, Université de Rennes, Ministère de la Culture, Rennes, France

Valérie-Emma Leroux

Iggdrasil, Paimpont, France

Marie Besse

Laboratoire d’archéologie préhistorique et anthropologie, Département F.-A. Forel des Sciences de la Terre et de l’Environnement, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Genève, Genève, Suisse

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