The Latin word tumulus indicates or not a eminence artificial, circular, recovering a Sépulture. One employs also sometimes the word “hillock”.
A Tertre is made only ground, a tumulus of ground and stones and finally a Cairn (or Galgal), stones.
The Tombe can be of very variable size: of a simple deposit of bones flarings to a very elaborate sepulchral room out of dry stone and/or flagstones, in which case one will speak about tumulus megalithic (See Dolmen).
Currently, the tumulii of ground are rare because the erosion and the action of the man partly erased them. The tumulii of stone (or Cairn S ) are on the other hand rather well preserved.
The tumulus is often consolidated on its circumference by a Parement in Pierre even dries by larger blocks or even by raised stones (the péristalithe ). In the case of the most imposing monuments there can be a frontage structured on the level of the entry of the burial.
Some tumulii are very elaborate and can be structured in concentric facings. They present a rise in steps then.
Conservation
Many a tumulus was plundered, was used of Carrière, sometimes as hillock of shooting, or was destroyed by agriculture. There one also could build turns of guets, or small fortifications.
Some examples in the world
America précolombienne
The culture of the builders of Tumulus ( Mound Builders in English) opened out of II at the 8th century in most of the the current United States. Adénas seem to be the first to practice the art of the pottery and to bury their chiefs under tumulus. The Hopewell S or Hopewellien S succeeded to them in the valley of the Ohio of first century BC at the 8th century. They buried their deaths with invaluable jewels and objects, always under tumuli. The most known sites in the United States are the truncated pyramid of Monk' S Mound (Collinsville, Illinois) and Serpent Mound (Peebles, Ohio) which draws a long snake several meters on the ground. In Georgia, vestiges of the culture of the builders of tumulus were discovered in Etowah Indian Mounds.
England
Sutton Hoo
This group of tumulii, which sheltered in particular fall it from a Anglo-Saxon king of the sixth century, revealed with the archeologists a true treasure from now on exposed to the British Museum. One found a Bateau there fall.
Belgium
- the Tumulus d' Avernas (Liege)
- the Tumulus de Glimes (the Walloon Brabant)
- the Tumulus d' Hottomont (the Walloon Brabant)
- the Tumulus de Pépin of Landen (the Flemish Brabant)
- the Tumulus of the Hole of Billemont (Hainaut)
Bulgaria
- Many tumulus in the Valley of the pinks
ancient Egypt
The Egyptians of Antiquity used the tumuli to bury their deaths until the end of predynastic period. It is only with the Old empire that the Mastaba S (then pyramids) will take the step on the tumuli; initially for the Pharaon S, then for the noble ones and the notable ones.For the Egyptians, the tumulus represents the hillock emerging of the paramount ocean from which was born the sun in the mythology héliopolitaine.
Étrurie
The Étrusques used the tumuli to bury their deaths. These tombs were often decorated of Fresque S and were gathered in necropoles, as with Tarquinia, Cerveteri or Populonia.
France
Tumulus of Bougon (Two-Sevres)
See also: Tumulus de Bougon
It is about a whole of five tumulus gathered on a single site.
Rather rare case, the construction and the use of those was spread out over very a long period, from 4.500 to 3.000 years before J-C. It is about the one of oldest the Nécropole S megalithic of Western Europe.
The tumulus Saint-Michel of Carnac
This tumulus was built between 5000 and 3400 before J. - C. (with the Neolithic ).At the base, it 125 meters is long and broad of 60 meters and measurement 12 meters in height. It required 35 000 cubic meters of stones and ground. Its function was the same one as that of the Pyramides of Egypt, tomb for the members of an elite, it contained various funerary objects for the majority exposed henceforth to the Museum of the Prehistory of Carnac.
The Chapelle set up above, built in 1663 was destroyed in 1923 to be rebuilt with identical in 1926.
(information collected on a panel of the Ministry of the culture and communication with Carnac)
The tumulus of Dissignac
See also: Tumulus de Dissignac
The dolmen of Lamalou (Herault)
This tumulus is currently not covered with ground (was it?) and its structure of dry stone (calcareous) is apparent. It is one of rare the dolmen héraultais to be still covered and enséré in a large tumulus.
The dolmen of the sheep-fold of Panissière (Gard)
The dry stone tumulus of this dolmen is original (but not single): its circumference is delimited by raised a stone circle integrated into the unit (the péristalithe ).
The tumulus of the Father
See also: Tumulus of the Father
Ireland
Japan
The Kofun : This form of tumuli megalithic developed at the Japan between 4th and the 7th century. Being the only archaeological witnesses of this period, they gave their name to the era Yamato.
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