AtSolutreisasepulchreformedofunhewnslabsofstone。Thebodyofthedeadrestedonathickbedofthebrokenandcrushedbonesofhorses。Theremainsofreindeerweremixedwiththehumanbones。Werethesetoorelicsoffuneralrites，andweretheanimalbonesthoseofthehorsesandreindeerthathadbelongedtotheirhunter？Itisimpossibletosay。Solutre，situatedasitwasonanadmirablesiteonahilloverlookingthevalleyoftheSeine，protectedfromthenorthwindsandclosetoaplentifulstream，hasalsobeenafavoriteresortofman。Inthetombsallagesaremixedtogether，andifsomedoindeeddatefromNeolithictimes，othersareRoman，Burgundian，Merovingian。TheremaybeamongthemacertainnumberdatingfromtheReindeerperiod；thatisaboutallwecanassertwithanycertaintyinthepresentstateofourknowledge。TheAbbeDucrost，however，inanimportantessay[285]assertsthathehasfoundincontrovertibleproofsoftheintermentofSolutreensonthehearthsoftheirhomesinPalaeolithictimes。Ifthisbeso，thecustomisoneoffrequentoccurrence，andhasbeencontinuedforcenturies；
forDeColanges，inhisfineworkonancientcities，showsthatatRometheearliesttombswereonthehearthitselfofthedwelling。DeMortillet，ontheotherhand，dwellsveryearnestlyonthemodeofinhumationatSolutre，andseesinthejuxtapositionofhumanremainsandtheDEBRISofhearthsbuttheresultofdisplacement，andoftheregularturningupsidedownofwhichthehillofSolutrehasbeenthescene。TothisReinachreplied，totheeffectthat，whereasafewyearsagoDeMortillet’sauthorityledmanyarchaeologiststosupposethatthemenoftheReindeerperioddidnotburytheirdead，facts，evermoreimportantthantheories，havenowprovedbeyondadoubtthatthisverydecidedopinionisamistake。Notonlydidthemenofremoteantiquityburytheirdead；theylaidthem，asatSolutre，onthehearthsnearwhichtheyhadlived。[286]
Thedeadwereoftenburiedseatedorbentforward，anditisinterestingtonotethesamecustombeneaththemoundsofAmericaandthetumuliofEurope。Itistouchingtoseehowindeathmenwishedtorecalltheirlifeonearth；thecradlewas，sotospeak，reproducedinthetomb，andmanlayonthebosomofearth，thecommonmotherofhumanity，likethechildonthebosomofhisownmother。Perhaps，too，theseatedpositionwasmeanttoindicatethatman，whohadneverknownrestduringhishardstruggleforexistence，hadfounditatlastinhisnewlife。Themenoftheroughandbarbaroustimesoftheremotepastwereunabletoconceivetheideaofafuturedifferenttothepresent，orofalifewhichwasnotineveryrespectthesameasthatonearthhadbeen。
Whatevermayhavebeenthemotive，thismodeofburialwaspractisedfromtheMadeleineperiod。[287]AtBruniquel，inAveyron，thedeadwerefoundcrouchingintheirlasthome。Thispositionis，however，peculiarlycharacteristicofNeolithictimes，andismetwiththroughoutEurope。EightskeletonswererecentlydiscoveredbendingforwardinthesepulchralcaveofSchwannMecklenburg。InScandinaviatherearesomanysimilarcasesthatitisdifficulttomakeaselection。TitthesepulchralcaveofOxevallaEastGothland
thedeadareallincrouchingattitudes，andtumulidatingfromthemostremoteantiquitycoveroverapassage，formedofimmenseblocksofstone，leadingtoacentralchamber，inwhicharenumerousseatedskeletonsrestingagainstthewalls。