Dolmen des Pierres Blanches
The Dolmen des Pierres Blanches is located north of the hamlet of Castellane , northeast of La Baume , in the southeast of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in France . In France, dolmen is the generic term for Neolithic megalithic structures of all kinds (see: French nomenclature ).
The north-south oriented dolmen was built at a height of 1249 m above sea level above the Verdon valley . The chamber and cairn are made from local limestone . The architecture connects it with the small Provencal dolmens in the Alpes-Maritimes department and in the eastern Var department .
The chamber is 1.75 m long and 1.4 m wide. It is bounded by a large plate in the north. In the south, two orthostats about 0.3 m apart form the entrance. The restored west side and the east side were probably made of dry stone . The chamber is covered with a 2.8 m long, 2.4 m wide and 0.4 m thick capstone (estimated weight 9.8 t). The 1.5 m long, low corridor is closed at its end by two small plates. It is filled with stones and covered by a plate.
It is difficult to estimate the volume of the original pile of stones, the stones of which were later reused. Long used as a shelter by shepherds and hunters, the dolmen was looted before the 2006 excavation. However, a filler layer remained in place and 415 fragments of human bones as well as 82 elements of flint, limestone, iron sulfide and ceramic shards were found.
Although the bones are badly fragmented, research showed that most of the individuals buried were adults. Decorative elements mainly consist of pearls , limestone, shells and soapstone, two pendants and an ammonite. The excavation revealed a large number of small limestone stones on the oldest layer. Due to the geological context, these pebbles do not correspond to any natural deposit.
The typology of the dolmen and the finds date the dolmen to around 2,500 BC.
See also
Web links
- Dolmen des Pierres Blanches in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- Description and pictures
Coordinates: 43 ° 53 ′ 42 " N , 6 ° 30 ′ 23" E