Trois objets de cuivre inédits du Tarn-et-Garonne

Abstract

This article presents three unpublished copper objects that were found in Tarn-et-Garonne, on the south-eastern and south-western edges of Quercy. The first is a Palmela point found, in isolation and outside any context, at Frau de Cazals (Cazals, Tarn-et-Garonne). Its chemical composition is standard and comprises notable traces of arsenic and silver, as well a considerable trace of iron, an element that is unusual in this type of object. The other two are daggers from a tomb, of a type so far unpublished, at Villebougon (Lauzerte, Tarn-et-Garonne). The tomb consisted of a shaft or well — whether natural or not is unknown — closed by an enormous slab. Five bodies had been placed in it, separated by a thick layer of earth and charcoal. Funerary goods accompanied each body. The last two bodies interred each had a copper dagger, one with a notched tang, the other perforated. The chemical composition of the daggers differs, the former has very noticeable traces of arsenic, antimony and silver, the latter has less evident traces of the same elements. These objects can be attached to the Treilles group, since the closest comparisons are to be found in funerary environments of the Lozère and Aveyron Late Neolithic. However, they were discovered in a very different cultural context, where individuals were buried singly in a previously unpublished type of structure.