31 October 2012

The Ladies of Téviec

Téviec or Théviec is an island situated to the west of the isthmus of the peninsula of Quiberon, near Saint-Pierre-Quiberon in Brittany, France. The island is an important archaeological site due to its occupation during the Mesolithic period. Many archaeological finds have been made dating back to over 6,700 years before the present day, including the remains of over 20 people. One of the most remarkable finds was that of the grave of two young women who had apparently died violently but had received an elaborate burial under a "roof" of antlers, their bodies decorated with jewelry made from shells...

In another grave, the skeletons of two women aged 25–35, dubbed the "ladies of Téviec", were found with signs of violence on both. One had sustained five blows to the head, two of which would have been fatal, and had received at least one arrow shot between the eyes. The other had also traces of injuries. However, this diagnosis is disputed by some archaeologists, who have suggested that the weight of earth above the grave may have been responsible for damaging the skeletons.


The bodies had been buried with great care in a pit that was partly dug into the ground and covered over with debris from the midden. They had been protected by a roof made of antlers and provided with a number of grave goods including pieces of flint and boar bones, and jewellery made of sea shells drilled and assembled into necklaces, bracelets and ringlets for the legs. The grave assemblage was excavated from the site in one piece and is now on display at the museum of prehistory in Toulouse, where its restoration in 2010 earned a national award.

2 comments:

  1. Stan -

    3 years late seeing this...

    FYI, the Quiberon peninsula is IMMEDIATELY to the west and SW of the Carnac megalithic site. Carnac is one of the TOP megalithic sites in the world - with THOUSANDS of standing stones, many of them in long semi-parallel rows. Carnac is only 8.5 km away - about 5 miles.

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac_stones

    I don't see HOW they can write about such finds and NOT even mention the possible connection between the megalithic site and these skeletons. The arkies place Carnac variously at 3500 BCE or 4500 BCE, while these women are dated to 6700 years ago - 4700 BCE. That looks close enough to me - especially when the dating of standing stones is a VERY iffy proposition.

    And BTW, there are actually megalithic stones even closer than Carnac. I found some only 4 km away (~2.5 miles)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Steve. After a quick search tonight, I didn't find any articles suggesting a connection between the sites, but the time frames would certainly imply such..

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