Neolithic mortuary behaviour at La Faucille Cave, Meuse Basin (Belgium)

The mortuary cave La Faucille is located in Sclayn, in the valley of the Fond des Vaux, a small tributary of the Meuse River (Andenne, prov. of Namur, BE). It was discovered in 1999, and after an initial survey it was excavated from 2015 onwards. The excavations yielded over 3000 identifiable human remains which were found both on the terrace and inside the cave. Also, a small but significant number of archaeological objects were recovered. A series of radiocarbon dates on 20 human bones revealed that the cave was in use for a period of between 239 and 432 years (2 sigma), with a mean start and end date of 2865 and 2485 cal BC, respectively. In the past years, significant observations were made regarding Final Neolithic funerary practices at the cave. Here, we will present new stratigraphic observations combined with dating and anthropological analyses that provide important insights into the formation of the La Faucille assemblage and Neolithic burial practices in the Belgian Meuse basin as a whole. Although most human remains were found commingled, they include the partial articulation of upper and lower limbs, suggesting the deceased were placed on their backs with their heads toward the cave entrance. Articulations of labile joints, such as the humerus, indicate possible primary burials, while rib fragments reinforce this hypothesis. Remarkably, very few skull fragments were recovered, despite the presence of teeth from at least 21 individuals. Accumulations of mandibles and long bones, placed haphazardly but oriented along the cave’s axis, suggest post-decomposition re-deposition by the Neolithic people. Scarce evidence of gnaw marks implies that the bodies were covered with sediment soon after burial. In addition, stratigraphic observations strongly suggest multiple digging events in the site which, when combined with the dating analysis, point to repeated manipulation and mixing of individuals

Archaeology · Cave · Geography · Structural basin · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology · Paleontology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology