Allée couverte by Cher Arpent
The Allée couverte by Cher Arpent was a gallery grave in L'Étang-la-Ville in the Yvelines department in France .
It was discovered by the owner in 1878 while working in the vineyard. When Guégan de l'Isle visited the site, the megalithic complex was almost destroyed and its contents were scattered. The official excavation was carried out by Abel Maître (1830–1899). The land was bought from the owner of the castle of L'Étang-la-Ville. At the beginning of the 20th century, the new owner dismantled the gallery and rebuilt it from scratch nearby. The gallery grave that is now in the Rathauspark bears no resemblance to the original.
Originally it consisted of a long chamber measuring 11.7 × 1.5 m with an internal height of 1.9 m and possibly an antechamber. Today there is only a 5.0 m long part of the chamber with 11 supporting stones on the right and six on the left, three cap stones and an end plate made of sandstone. About 60 burials have been identified in the chamber on two levels separated by limestone slabs . The bottom layer lay directly on the paved floor and the top was covered with slabs. According to a study by Léonce-Pierre Manouvrier (1850–1927) published in 1895, men had an average height of 1.6 m and women 1.5 m. Four skulls showed trepanation . The three female had these in a T-shape. These cuts existed before individuals died. Finally, a large stove appears to have been lit on the cobbled floor in front of the corpses, perhaps on the occasion of the funeral service.
The additions consisted of antler, bone and stone tools, various animal bones and two horse teeth. The fragments of black ceramic can be assigned to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture .
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Coordinates: 48 ° 52 ′ 14.8 " N , 2 ° 4 ′ 19.6" E