Roman cremation necropolis found in Hyeres

"Typical of Roman funerary practices of the time, only cremation burials have been found there. They consisted of pyres built over rectangular pits. The deceased's body was placed on the pyre with pottery and grave goods arranged around them. The hot fire burned the logs of the pyre, whitened and cracked the bones, melted glass bottles and bronze artifacts, and everything collapsed into the pit."

"After the cremation fire stopped burning, sometimes unburned grave goods were added to the pits. Other times the pits were emptied of grave goods and the cremated remains placed inside in piles. Unburned objects such as glass perfume bottles, vases, etc., were placed in these tombs. A distinctive feature of Olbia is that most of them are surmounted by a libation channel for liquid offerings (wine, beer, mead) to honor the deceased or ensure their protection."

A Roman necropolis dating from the 1st through the 3rd centuries A.D. was found outside the walls of ancient Olbia along a coastal road near Hyeres. The burial ground contains at least 160 cremation structures consisting of pyres built over rectangular pits with pottery and grave goods. Cremation fires whitened and cracked bones, melted glass and bronze, and remains and goods were deposited in pits. Many tombs feature libation channels fashioned from amphorae for liquid offerings and other votive items, indicating maritime trade connections. Olbia was founded in 325 B.C., later came under Roman control, and was inhabited until the 7th century.

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