Miniatures en plomb d’une sépulture d’Alba-la-Romaine (dép. Ardèche / FR)

Abstract

Lead Miniature Objects from a Grave in Alba-la-Romaine (Dép. Ardèche / FR)

In 2020, during a rescue excavation near Alba Helviorum, the modern-day Alba-la-Romaine and capital of the Helvii, several graves of the Early Imperial Period grouped around a circular monument were uncovered. The graves could have belonged to a family burial complex connected to a nearby villa. Grave DP 5294, found south of the funerary monument, is a mixed cremation deposit for a probably female person and dates to between AD 60–100. The burial contained a considerable number of grave-goods, including a series of lead miniature objects, a pair of sandals attached to a patera and a set of strigiles with rings. At first, the objects are described and placed in their typological context. Then, the hypothesis is proposed that they are to be interpreted as an allusion to otium and its everyday manifestations in a relatively privileged social environment, i. e. bathing and personal hygiene.