Avenches – Roman Museum – Permanent Exhibition

Ground Floor The Gallo-Roman Population of Switzerland and Their View of Death
Cremation Burials
Child Burials (1)
(Display case and drawer 2)
Inhumation burial of an infant aged four to six months
Port necropolis. Late 1st – 2nd centuries AD.
1. Ceramic feeding bottle as grave offering. The infant was buried in a wooden coffin.
Inhumation burial of a few month old infant
En Chaplix necropolis. AD 120 – 140.
2. The tableware, consisting of a glass jug and bottle and a small ceramic bowl was
deposited on the coffin.
Inhumation burial of a child aged one to two years
En Chaplix necropolis. Approximately AD 150.
3. The grave goods placed in the lead sarcophagus consisted of two bowls (only one of
which is exhibited) and a glass bead.
Cremation Burials
(Display case and drawer 3)
Cremation burial of a child aged three to four years (2)
En Chaplix necropolis. Approximately AD 125 – 130.
The urn, together with a ceramic pot (not burnt), was deposited in a grave as an
offering. Three coins and a silver pendant were found among the burnt and washed
human bone in the urn. Apart from charcoal the grave also contained the remains
of many other offerings, which were burnt on the pyre but only some of which are
exhibited.
1. Glass bottle with two handles, used as urn.
2. Silver pendant and three bronze sestertii (two of Hadrian and one of Domitian),
deposited in the urn with the ashes.
3. Locally produced ceramic pot, not burnt, deposited in the glass urn in the grave.
4. Ceramic tableware, imported from southern Gaul, partly or totally burnt, a bowl, a dish,
a plate and three cups).
5. Locally produced pottery, partially or totally burnt, comprising two jugs, two bowls and
a pot.
6. Several burnt glass vessels including a ribbed cup and a green vessel decorated with
small yellow and brown-red rosettes.
7. Two iron hinges and nails.
8. Penannular fibula, a handle and various other bronze items, all burnt.
9. Two burnt bronze dupondii of Hadrian.
Cremation burial of an adult male, perhaps a shipwright
Port necropolis. Early 2nd century AD.
A wooden box measuring about 35 by 35 cm (not preserved) was used as an urn.
Apart from the burnt bones it contained fragments of iron objects, some of which
may have belonged to the box, as well as three tools, which had not been burnt
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Ground Floor
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