Around the church of Sainte-Anne, a small baroque church from the 18th century in the city center of Dijon, archaeologists and anthropologists have been busy documenting the rich history found in the underground of the Sainte-Anne district since the 1990s.
It all began in 1992 with an emergency rescue excavation before urban redevelopment. These excavations, carried out in a certain haste, nevertheless reveal a very ancient occupation of the site dating back to the Iron Age, more precisely to the La Tène period. This period refers to a culture that existed from the mid-5th century BC to the mid-1st century BC. This Gaulish culture is relatively well-known and is defined by its funerary practices, with individuals of both sexes gathered in places that can accommodate a few dozen to a few hundred individuals, with the more important agglomerations all in a lying position and accompanied by material goods.
If the funerary customs of the La Tène populations are well-documented, the burials found in Dijon are nonetheless of an unusual burial practice. The two individuals found are not lying down, but sitting and deprived of any accompanying objects in their death.
In addition to these seated burials, a cemetery of animals, consisting of twenty-eight dogs, five sheep, and two sows has been found. The attention given to the burials of humans and animals, as well as other clues, suggests a cult activity around the excavation site.
Since the 1990s, the Sainte-Anne district, amid urban developments, has been regularly excavated. These excavations have continued to uncover the various occupations of the site, with uninterrupted occupation from the Gallo-Roman period to the contemporary period.
A new phase of research has been initiated following new excavations by the Inrap, led by Hervé Laganier. These excavations, which began in the fall of 2024, are taking place on the site of the Joséphine Baker school group undergoing redevelopment.
In March 2026, excavations resumed on the site for a second phase of research. The excavations were scheduled to end on March 31, but the discovery of eight new seated burials has led to an extension of the excavations until mid-April, bringing the total number of such burials found in the district to 23.
All indications point to linking these burials to those studied by Valérie Delattre and Laure Pecqueur. However, the mystery of the reasons for these atypical burials remains. Several hypotheses are on the table: religious practices, sacrificial rites, judicial punishment, or social relegation. What is certain is that particular attention was paid to these burials, suggesting valorization rather than relegation. Research in the laboratory will carry on for several years in the hope of finding clues to the reasons behind these very particular burials.
