Rich Roman Burial Unearthed in France: Bustum Pyre Yields 22 Gold Treasures

Roman Bustum Burial Reveals Lavish Grave Goods

Archaeologists working in Lamonzie-Saint-Martin in southwestern France have excavated a Roman-era bustum — a single-use funeral pyre — that contained the cremated remains of one individual alongside an extraordinary collection of grave goods, including 22 pieces of solid gold.

The dig, led by France’s National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), took place during routine development work near the Dordogne River. Teams initially expected to find Late Neolithic settlements and medieval pits, but a rectangular pit roughly seven feet by three feet emerged from the brown silt deposits instead.

After an initial test bore produced cremated bone fragments and a bronze coin, careful excavation through layers of ash and charcoal revealed a total of 487 separate objects — most of them cremated bone fragments — arranged in a way that identified the feature as a bustum: a pyre where a single person was cremated with personal belongings and then covered in place.

Notable Finds

INRAP specialists concluded the burial belonged to an elite individual based on the wealth of the grave goods, most notably the 22 solid gold items. Among these were:

• A twisted-band gold bracelet ending in a loop clasp
• A bulla pendant — a small vial-like amulet commonly worn by affluent Roman youths
• A gold intaglio ring with a claw-shaped bezel; its inlaid stone (likely rock crystal) bears Greek letters read as "Allallé," which researchers hope may help identify the deceased
• Ten gold coins, probably sestertii and asses, and thin gold sheets that may have decorated a purse or pouch

Other assemblage elements add to the picture of wealth and connectivity: a terra sigillata ceramic vessel (possibly from the Montans workshops active in the 1st–2nd centuries C.E.), a colorless glass flask, diamond-shaped crystals that likely decorated a burial covering, and a long corroded iron object hanging against the pyre wall. The iron object’s form is obscured by corrosion, but conservators suspect it may be a horse bit and plan X-ray imaging to confirm its identity.

Dating and Significance

The burial dates to the High Roman Empire (1st–2nd century C.E.) when the region belonged to the province of Aquitania. As a sealed, single-use pyre filled with personal possessions, the bustum offers a rare, time-capsule view of elite funerary practice, material culture, and trade connections in Roman Gaul.

Ongoing scientific analyses aim to determine the individual’s sex, age at death, and health, to clarify the provenance of imported ceramics and glass, and to better understand the social identity signaled by this rich funerary assemblage.

Why it matters: Routine development work can unexpectedly reveal high-value archaeological deposits that deepen our understanding of Roman provincial life, elite identity, and long-distance exchange in the Imperial era.