Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The necropolis of Coizard-Joches, also known as Caves du Razet, is a complex of hypogees (subterranean Tombs) dating from the late Neolithic, located in the Marne. These collective graves, dug in a south-facing chalk hillside, were gradually discovered: two hypogees were accidentally discovered in 1842 and 1858 during the collapses. From 1872, Baron Joseph de Baye exhumed and searched thirty-five others, bringing the estimated total to about fifty, although the lack of documentation made this figure uncertain. All hypogees, except Nos. 23 and 24, were filled after study. Their arrangement in parallel lines, with openings facing south/south-east, suggests a structured funeral organization.

Hypogees 23 and 24, still accessible, illustrate the typical architecture: an antechamber (about 2 m long) leads to a rectangular bedroom (4 m by 3.5 m), with side benches and wall withdrawals. The hypogee n°23 is home to a controversial bas-relief, nicknamed "the keeper of tombs", representing a female figure with marked breasts, capped and trimmed with a necklace. Its authenticity was questioned as soon as it was discovered because of its abnormally smooth surface, suggesting a restoration or falsification inspired by the sculptures of hypogeus n°24, where two similar representations, more altered, adorn the walls. Two stranded axes, including a blackened coal blade, complete the carved motifs.

The funerary furniture collected by Baron Baye, which is now kept at the National Archaeology Museum (e.g. flint tools, dagger, aragonite pendant) and the Museum of Man (anthropological remains), remains difficult to attribute precisely to each hypogee due to imprecise records. Only an intact ceramic was reported for the entire necropolis. Ranked a historic monument by order of 14 May 1926, the necropolis was mapped between 1935 and 1938 by Pierre Favret and J. Prieur. His study reveals collective funeral practices and a local rock art, although some works, such as "the guardian", raise questions about their original integrity.

The hypogees of Coizard-Joches are part of a wider context of neolithic tombs, comparable to the statues-menhirs of southern France, although their style and conservation differ. The presence of carved axes, power symbols or ritual tools, and the systematic orientation of graves to the southeast may reflect beliefs related to the solar cycle or a journey to the next. The absence of patina on some bas-reliefs, such as that of hypogeus n°23, contrasts with the natural wear of other sculptures, fuelling the hypothesis of modern interventions during the 19th century excavations.

The method of searching the Baron of Baye, albeit a pioneer, now suffers from a lack of documentary rigour, limiting the fine understanding of funeral rites practiced on this site. The hypogees, dug at varying depths (2.75 m at 3.80 m), probably housed remains accompanied by offerings, as evidenced by the artifacts found. Their classification as historical monuments underscores their archaeological value, despite the continuing uncertainty about their origin and exact number. The site remains a remarkable example of prehistoric funeral architecture in Champagne-Ardenne, today Grand Est.

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