Dolmen de la Pierre Virante
The Dolmen de la Pierre Virante in Xanton-Chassenon in Vendée in France is not a classic form of French Dolmen - types to integrate and has its nearest counterpart in the Long Barrows of the British Isles . In France, dolmen is the generic term for megalithic structures of all kinds (see: French nomenclature ).
The excavation was carried out by Roger Joussaume in 1970 (the first was carried out at the beginning of the 19th century). The architecture consists of an irregular limestone pedestal that cannot be precisely delimited to the south and west, about 2.4 m long, 2.5 m wide and 1.2 m thick. The roughly half preserved edge is carefully made of dry masonry . Two stones resting on pillars do not form a reconstructable burial chamber.
In 1971 Roger Joussaume published the excavation with the photos of the burial mound. The facility, which was filled in after the excavation, now consists of two stones lying on a hill. An eyewitness reported another capstone that was still there in 1914.
Many skeletons and accessories were found, including axes, necklaces and knives.
Legend has it that one of the stones takes a bath in the Autise river on Christmas night .
literature
- PR Giot: The Megaliths of France . In: Antiquity and Man, Thames and Hudson, London 1981
- Roger Joussaume: Des Dolmens pour les morts. Les mégalithismes à travers le monde 1985
- PR Chaigneau: Les dolmens vendeens - Sociéte d'emulation de la Vendee , 1966-7 pp. 17-31.
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 27 '35.4 " N , 0 ° 41' 23.1" W.