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The biggest piece of gold clothInrap provides more images of the location and exquisite finds at Autun:
While some of the deceased were among the early Christians of Gaul, individuals from other ancient religions seem to be buried there, as evidence of libation - a liquid offering made of wine, olive oil or wine. milk - found in some graves.
In November 2020, the discovery of about fifteen lead coffins, six stone sarcophagi but also small prestigious furniture had been unveiled by Inrap. Among these pieces of furniture, in addition to the vase, had been found a gold ring and earrings, jet bracelets or even astonishing pins in pure amber which are unmatched in the Roman world. But another find, almost as exceptional as the vase, can be added to this list today: that of the largest piece of gold cloth ever to come down to us.
"If we had found residues of gold thread in six graves, it was with great surprise that we came across a very large piece of cloth, one or two square meters, in one of the graves. A dimension like this is never seen for gold fabric ", enthuses Carole Fossurier. This one is reminiscent of the rich fabrics of Paleo-Christian iconography, such as those represented on the mosaics of San Vitale of Ravenna (the figures surrounding the Empress Theodora wear clothes sewn with gold thread). Undoubtedly wrapped around a body as a shroud, the textile remains for the moment a prisoner of the earth in which it was deposited more than 1,500 years ago. Carole Fossurier, who is currently seeking funding for its restoration, hopes that it will soon experience the same fate as the diatret vase: a rebirth.
Comment: It's a shame to see the research trend of 15-20 years ago veer off course away from comets as the likely cause of sudden catastrophic climate change. However, it's good to see that at least some climate science acknowledges that the only climate change worth really worrying about is the sudden, NATURALLY-CAUSED kind.
We get it though. Comets are just too much for people. It's scary to contemplate, and disturbs too many beliefs.