Archaeological excavations on the Ile de Ré, an island off France's Atlantic coast, have unearthed graves and artefacts dating back to the 8th century – findings that confirm trading ties with Northern European and Celtic peoples.
"What is exciting and quite unique is to find various objects from as far as Ireland, England, the Netherlands and Germany buried with the corpses in this part of western France, in the late 8th century," archaeologist Annie Bolle, of France's National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), told RFI.
Bolle is the scientific project manager for excavations taking place at La Flotte, a village on the Ile de Ré, off the French Atlantic coast.
INRAP was called in to look at a plot of land ahead of the construction of a house – because in 1985 a Gallo-Roman villa dating back to the 4th century was unearthed next door.
Between October and December 2024, the INRAP team uncovered around 50 graves in and outside a chapel. Having belonged to the priory of Saint Eulalie, according to texts from 1156, it was later destroyed during the French Wars of Religion, between Catholics and Protestants, in the 16th century.
"The findings provide rare tangible evidence of close ties between the Carolingian Empire [a Frankish empire in Western and Central Europe during the early Middle Ages] and a population from the North and Celtic Seas," said Bolle.
Unusual burials
Five of these graves stood out. The position of the bodies and the artefacts they were buried with "are quite rare to find on Ile de Ré or even in western France," explained Bolle.
Two of the bodies were not positioned in the customary Christian fashion, with the heads facing east towards Jerusalem, but were orientated towards the south.
The lower limbs of some were bent rather than extended, as would be expected. Furthermore, two others were laid on their sides and one female was found lying face down.
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"The bodies in the five graves were buried with various objects and ornaments. This practice, common during the 6th and 7th centuries, disappeared later in the 8th and 9th centuries, around the time we think the five were buried," said Bolle.
The archaeologists found two combs and necklaces made of amber, glass, bone and copper beads.
The findings from the La Flotte excavations have been preserved and will undergo analysis to gather information about their composition and provenance.
"By finding out what technique was used to make the combs, we will be able to tell when and where they were made. DNA testing of the material used – bones or antlers – will help us to more accurately determine where they came from," Bolle explained.
Other artefacts unearthed include a metal belt with an intricate design, and a knife similar to one previously found in the south-east of England.
Social status
"Stable isotopes analysis of the human bones will help us to reconstruct the diet of the individuals," Bolle said, explaining that what they ate will give an indication of where they came from – as well as their social status, given usually only people with means could afford meat.
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"Paleogenetic analysis of the skeletons’ DNA should help us determine the sex of the individuals and whether they were related or not," she added.
The findings have been sent to various laboratories around France, with some at the Arc’Antique Laboratory in Nantes, while some of the DNA testing – of the combs, for example – will be done at the Natural History Museum in Paris.
Trade links
Most of the artefacts unearthed from the graves appear to originate from northern Germany, the Netherlands, south-east England and the area around Dublin in Ireland. The beads are Irish, the knife or the belt could come from England and the combs may come from the Frisian region in north-western Europe – in modern times, parts of the north of the Netherlands and north-west Germany.
"What is fascinating is trying to uncover how the various objects from so many different places found their way in this small plot of land on Ile de Ré," Bolle said.
"The La Flotte excavations [have uncovered] rare archaeological evidence of the active trade relations we’ve read about between the Carolingian Empire and the population around the North Sea."
Danish and German archaeologists have already shown an interest in the La Flotte findings. Now follows at least two years of investigation to uncover the story behind them.
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"What we don’t know yet is whether the individuals were locals buried with their own objects or whether they were foreigners buried on this land," said Bolle. "It says a lot if the foreigners were buried amongst the locals. It means that they were well accepted. And, resonates with what is happening nowadays in terms of tolerance towards migrants."
