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Origin and history

The hypogee of the Champtier des Bureaux, discovered in 1954 in Buno-Bonnevaux (Essonne), is a collective burial dating from the recent Neolithic (2613–2202 BC). Dipped under a slab of sandstone, its oval chamber (3.10 m × 1.50 m) was closed by a stone now extinct. Its interior walls, reinforced with dry stone walls, sheltered the disarticulated remains of some 20 individuals, suggesting reuse as a secondary grave after the transfer of bones from a first structure.

The excavations (1954–1956), conducted by R. Hardouin, revealed only minimal funerary furniture: some non-characteristic flint fragments. Gérard Bailloud links this site to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture, typical of the final Neolithic in the Paris Basin. The absence of small bones and anatomical connections, as well as the rarity of teeth, supports the hypothesis of prior emptying of remains before they are deposited in this chamber.

Ranked a historic monument in 1975, the hypogee illustrates the collective funeral practices of the late Neolithic period in Île-de-France. Its carbon dating 14 and its association with the Seine-Oise-Marne culture make this a key testimony of the agro-pastoral societies of the region, marked by the emergence of megalithic structures and complex rites linked to death.

The archaeological sources (Peek, Bénard) underline its importance in the inventory of the francilian megaliths, although its state of conservation and the disappearance of its entrance slab today limit its study. The site remains a rare example of Neolithic underground burial in Essonne, complementary to the more widespread covered aisles in the region.

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