“The Archeological Mystification of Pauilhac” – Alain Beyneix’s Investigative Work

the essential The archaeological objects of Pauilhac, considered to belong to the furniture of a “chief’s tomb”, captivate, embarrass and challenge archaeologists. In his latest work, Alain Beyneix leads the investigation to disentangle the true from the false.

“The “chief’s tomb” of Pauilhac, An archaeological mystification” (Éditions Jérôme Million) is a work by Alain Beyneix, who tells us the story of a real police investigation in which he himself was involved .

For ages, the small world of archeology has been bustling around a batch of Neolithic objects exhibited at the Aquitaine Museum in Bordeaux and considered to be the furnishings of a grave of a great person.

Even if certain documents were brought to light in 1865 in Pauilhac, at the time of the construction of the railway line from Agen to Auch, many inaccuracies, extrapolations and manipulations taint the file.

The author takes up the chronology of events, unearthing previously unpublished archival documents and unraveling the actions of the successive actors in this affair. All the clues converge towards the hypothesis of a mystification, the creation of a fantasized funerary panoply. We find mention of the places Lauzit, Poteau and Pigeonnier, which will speak familiarly to local ears.

Alain Beyneix led a real police investigation

“All the pieces that various coincidences had subsequently brought together in archaeological collections were considered a “votive deposit” written in its preface by Wiktor Stoczkowski, director of studies at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (Paris) . The tomb could only be that of a “great chief”; the “great chief” was to be buried under a giant tumulus and accompanied by his favorite steed; he therefore became a horseman and, as such, he was imagined to have come from distant eastern steppes. On what basis? Word of Gascon.”

To find out more, you have to delve into Alain Beyneix’s 144-page book! Its release is set for January 5, 2024 (price: €18).

As a reminder, Alain Beyneix is ​​a teacher, doctor in Prehistory and researcher associated with the CNRS and the National Museum of Natural History.

2023-12-26 08:05:24
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