La nécropole protohistorique de la ZAC Niel à Toulouse (Haute-Garonne): présentation liminaire à partir d’un groupe original de sépultures

International audienceThe ZAC Niel dig of Toulouse has uncovered eighty crematory graves with secondary deposits dating from the end of the Late Bronze Age III to the beginning of the First Iron Age. The graves usually include an urn capped by a cone-shaped plate, while some also include ashes, accompanying vases and metal objects. The grave pits are circular and reflect the dimensions of their deposits. While the vast majority of these tombs fit this description, five of them – located in the same zone – are quite different. These tombs, which are larger and oblong in form, were used for either inhumation or cremation with secondary deposits. Inhumation has only been recorded in this kind of tomb. Furthermore, the ceramic vessels and metallic objects of these tombs are arranged in such a way as to set these graves apart from others found during the excavation. Taken together, these discoveries raise the question of the graves’ chronology within that of the larger necropolis, as well as their status