Stéphane ARDOUIN EPITAPHS AND STELES IN THE ÎLE-DE-FRANCE FROM THE 4th TO THE 8th CENTURY

Abstract

In the Île-de-France, epitaphs were occasionally used from the 4th century in a few suburban cemeteries, a priori by an educated elite near to sanctuaries. Uninscribed gravestones, early indicators of rural Christian communities, were also frequently used in cemeteries in the north-west of the region between the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 8th century, probably by a more illiterate population. Decorative variations on gravestones might also indicate a possible individualisation of the deceased person; repetition of certain shapes and motifs may point to the presence of production workshops.

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