The archaeology of the hereafter –closer to man

In archaeology death teaches a lot about the living. Through the study of their skeletons and their tombs, archaeologists try to discover our ancestors’ way of life, their eating habits and health condition, as well as the way they organized their society. In “monuments for the dead” you will find out that dolmens and menhirs are being discovered in the Paris region. These monuments were erected nearly 5.000 years ago by Neolithic man. In an era when neither the wheel nor the pulley existed, they transported and lifted stone slabs weighing dozens of tons. These archaic monuments of mankind are witnesses of man’s intelligence and of his society’s organization. Doctor Archeo explains how these vestiges can be dated thanks to Carbon 14. Sophisticated equipment is essential for measuring radioactivity. However, the principle is simple and Pierre has more than one trick up his sleeve to explain it to you. In Rencontre, Jacques, an enthusiastic volunteer, contributes to the research in a Medieval cemetery, undertaken by a team of archaeologists from the Val-d’Oise Archaeolgical Service. In Flash back, Joseph, a gravedigger by profession, speaks his mind. He recalls the funeral of an old miser, who failed to take his gold with him to paradise.