The flower, the pig, the bottle and the corpse (Rendez-vous autour de la fleur, le cochon, le flacon et le cadavre)

The proceedings of the first Rendez-vous du Gaaf are now out!

This book is a compilation of 12 papers from a series of meetings organised in Lorient, Aix-en-Provence and La Rochelle between 2016 and 2018 around the topic of ecofacts and artefacts in funerary scenography.

A flower, a pig, a bottle, this inventory seems more poetic than realistic, for what could a plant, an animal and an object possibly have in common? And how can they coexist in the same reality? The answer is provided by the reference to the body. It is the presence of the dead body that gives meaning to the statement; it sets the context and drives the investigation, which is archaeological rather than judicial. Priority must indeed be given to the body, whatever its form and whatever remains of it. The body is the human being, and without the human being, the flower, the pig and the bottle would not exist. A grave is only part of a complex chaîne opératoire that began with the death of an individual and only ends when the memory has faded.

This book brings together twelve contributions that reflect the diversity of scientific approaches to the study of funerary rituals and the value of fostering multidisciplinary collaboration among researchers. The papers are presented according to the sources used (texts, then archaeology) and in chronological order.

The order form and all information about the book, including the table of contents (in French), can be found via the link.

Published in : 2025

Directed by :

• D. Frère
• L. Hugot
• S. De Larminat
• L. Tranoy

Scientific and financial partners : L'Université Bretagne SudLa Rochelle UniversitéLe laboratoire Temps, Mondes, Sociétés (TEMOS, UMR 9016)Le laboratoire Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSS, UMR 7266)Le Centre Camille Jullian (CCJ, UMR 7299)Le Groupe d’anthropologie et d’archéologie funéraire

NB : https://hal.science/hal-05122424v1

Number of pages : 160

ISBN / ISSN : 978-2-954152-67-7