The Seine–Oise–Marne or SOM culture is the name given by

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

s to the final

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

of the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and first culture of the

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and southern

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It lasted from around 3100 to 2000 BCE and is most famous for its

gallery grave A gallery grave is a form of megalithic tomb built primarily during the Neolithic Age in Europe in which the main gallery of the tomb is entered without first passing through an antechamber or hallway. There are at least four major types of gal ...

megalithic tomb A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

s, which incorporate a port-hole slab separating the entrance from the main burial chamber. In the

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

valley of the River Marne, rock-cut tombs ( hypogea) were dug to a similar design. Some have examples of

megalithic art Megalithic art refers to art either painted or carved onto megaliths in prehistoric Europe and found on the structural elements, like the kerbstones, orthostats, or capstones of megalithic tombs, but recent investigations have included decorati ...

with images of axes, breasts, and necklaces carved on their walls. Diagnostic artefacts include transverse arrowheads, antler sleeves and crude, flat-based cylindrical and bucket-shaped pottery decorated with appliqué cordons. The SOM culture had trade links with neighbouring cultures enabling the use of Callaïs and Grand Pressingy flint imported from

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

and the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

and later, the use of

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

. The culture seems to have had strong links with other areas and may have arisen from a composite of influences as indicated by the gallery grave design common across Europe and the pottery types which have comparators in Western France from 2600BC and also in Brittany,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and Denmark.

Genetic profile

Ten individuals dated between 3400 and 2900 BC were tested from two collective burial hipogea of the Mont-Aimé site (Val-des-Marais, Marne department); six out of seven males were assigned to the Y-chromosome haplogroup I2a1b1b1 (Y13335), and there was an individual belonging to haplogroup H2a1a. The autosomal components were a mix of European farmer and Western hunter-gatherer (this one ranging from a minimum of 20% to a maximum of 55%). Two males buried in the Pierre Fritte dolmen (Yermenonville, Eure et Loire department) had the same mitochondrial haplogropup K and Y-DNA haplogroup I2a1.

Gallery

File:Pierre Brunehaut 01.JPG, The Pierre Brunehaut, Belgium File:Foret de Carnelle - La Pierre Turquaise 01.jpg, The Pierre Turquaise megalithic grave, France File:La pierre Turquaise.jpg, The Pierre Turquaise File:Hypogée de l'homme mort 1506086.jpg File:Ax, Betekom, Neolithic, Seine-Oise-Marne civilization, c. 3400-2200 BC, polished stone in deer antler handle - Cinquantenaire Museum - Brussels, Belgium - DSC08702.jpg File:Néolithique final hypogée 0339.JPG File:2018-04-29-Dolmen Oppagne-8545-Version 2.jpg File:Dolmen van Oppagne 3.JPG File:Dolmen van Wéris.JPG File:Wéris Dol1a JPG.jpg File:Menhirs de la Longue Pierre, seen from the north, Wéris, Durbuy, 2023.jpg File:Maquette-dolmen-weris.jpg

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seine-Oise-Marne culture Archaeological cultures of Europe Neolithic cultures of Europe Chalcolithic cultures of Europe Archaeological cultures in Belgium Archaeological cultures in France Bell Beaker culture 4th-millennium BC establishments

Genetic profile

Gallery

See also

Notes