Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The caves of Saran, set of neolithic hypogees, were discovered in Chouilly (Marne) in 1806. Two graves, destroyed in 1854, were described in 1866 by Abbé Barré: the first, elliptical, contained 30 skeletons and flint tools; The second, in the shape of a well, housed 48 skeletons and objects of bone, ceramic and petrified wood. These collective graves, facing southeast, illustrate the funeral practices of the late Neolithic.

In 1921-1922 four new tombs (II to IV) were discovered near the castle of Saran. The hypoge IV, classified in 1961, is distinguished by an enigmatic bas-relief (tige surmounted by a rosette), interpreted as a flower or a solar symbol. The three hypogees, lined up and dug into the chalk, have enfilade rooms, with traces of tools on the walls. Their access, blocked by chalk and coal, suggested a ritualized closure.

The excavations revealed tangled skeletons (some 30 in total) and modest funerary furniture: trimmings (amber, emerald, shells), flint blades, and arrow tips. Hypogees I, II and III contained bone deposits and local artifacts (silex from cliffs, tertiary shells). The hypoge IV, less rich, delivered only three skeletons. These findings testify to an organized neolithic community, using locally available materials for its funeral rites.

The first room of hypogees, often empty, could have been used as a ceremony rather than a funeral. The petrified wood objects and deer bone tools highlight the craftsmanship and trades of the era. The sheep sculpted head, found in hypoge II, and the chalk or amber rings reveal a complex symbolic, perhaps linked to beliefs or social status.

Abbé Barré in 1866 documented the first discoveries, but most artifacts had already disappeared. Subsequent excavations (1921-1922) allowed a more systematic study, although limited by the state of conservation of bones. The classification of the cave IV in 1961 enshrines its heritage importance, despite the partial destruction of the site in the 19th century.

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