A Gallic necropolis, dating back a century before Christ, was recently discovered by a team of archaeologists at the foot of the beach in Urville-Nacqueville.  So far, about 30 graves have been uncovered.  Funeral urns containing ashes, and skeletons of children and animals also have been identified. The funerary urns, particularly well preserved, were found at a depth of two meters.  The person in charge of the excavations is archaeologist Anthony Lefort from the University of Bourgogne.  According to him, this discovery demonstrates that trade already existed with our British neighbors and that the region around Urville-Nacqueville was a large, important port village.  The people who once lived here were of ancient Gaul and known as Unelli.  There are very few examples of Gallic necropolises in existence in western France.  An earlier dig in 2010 in Urville-Nacqueville uncovered Roman amphorae filled with Italian wine, as well as the workshop of a Unelli craftsman who made bracelets.  In order to access the graves and prevent the sea from eroding their discoveries, the archaeological team built a 30-meter dam of sand around the site.  Archaeologists must regularly evacuate seawater that seeps into the site so that skeletons can be examined before being sent to the laboratory at the University of Bordeaux.  Rising tides and the influx of summer tourists will mean that excavations must stop by May 13th.  More reportage can be found by watching the FRANCE 3 VIDEO.  Additional information for this article was translated from the original source documents which can be found here :

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