From the end of the Campaniforme to the dawn of the Middle Bronze Age in the lower Marne Valley

The collation of information from Early Bronze Age domestic and mortuary contexts in an area 60 kilometres long in the downstream Marne valley, east of Paris, has made it possible to flesh out the hitherto thin research literature. Recent developments such as the excavation of increasingly large surfaces, the characterisation of regional series and the considerable amount of information gained through preventive archaeology have made it possible to better understand a period hitherto best known in the region because of the discovery of a limited number of metal objects. This article organises the information, looking at a dozen archaeological indicators and considering fifteen domestic and mortuary sites. The position of these sites, usually in the valley bottom, sometimes on the slopes, but rarely on the edge of the plateau, is studied. The settlements can be divided into two categories. Firstly, those which have between one and a dozen pits and abundant material, such as the Grand Godet site at Villeneuve-le-Roi. Secondly, the sites on which there are apsidal buildings which do not respect a common alignment. The mortuary sites contain crouched burials in large pits aligned north south or north west/south east. The pits contain no artefacts and the dating evidence comes merely from radiocarbon analysis. There is little pottery but ovoid or barrel-shaped narrow-necked vases with an everted rim have been found. There are also carinated vases with handles. The applied decoration subdivides into arched cordons, of which some of the principal forms are discussed, horizontal smooth or thumbed cordons, applied strips and pellets. The principal decoration is achieved by the use of a cord larger than that used for Beaker pottery but also through the use of micro-perforations. Last but not least, the comparative frequency of aligned or superposed thumbed decoration is remarkable. The ten radiocarbon dates from both funerary and domestic contexts are from the first four centuries of the second millennium BC. A susceptibility to both Atlantic and continental influences is noteworthy. The building structures are comparable with southern examples whereas the abundance of arched cordon decoration shows a clear northern influence. The latter also influences the various mortuary practices, with the exception of cremation and monumental tombs.