Dolmen of Pérotte
The two dolmens of Pérotte ( French dolmens des Pérottes ; divided into La Grosse Pérotte and La Petite Pérotte ) are angoumoisin dolmens, known for their size, and are located next to a road southwest of the village of Fontenille and the D61 (road) near Angoulême in the Pays du Ruffécois in the Charente department in France . The two megalithic systems date from the Neolithic Age (approx. 3500 to 2900 BC). The stone and earth mounds ( tumuli ) that originally surround them have largely been removed. In France, dolmen is the generic term for Neolithic megalithic structures of all kinds (see: French nomenclature ).
La Grosse Pérotte
The remains of the great dolmen lie on a ridge about 50 meters from La Petite Pérotte and other dolmens and burial mounds in the area. With a thickness of around 5.0 × 5.0 m and 1.75 m, it has one of the heaviest, but split capstones in France, on a precisely built, rectangular chamber.
The approximately 2.0 m high chamber measures around 3.4 × 2.3 meters and consists of 11 square supporting stones , many of which have tilted under the weight of the enormous capstone, as they are no longer supported by the excavated mound of earth. There are many large stones around the remains of the hill. One has the remains of a scratch. Outside the main chamber are the stone slabs of a secondary chamber or the remains of the entrance.
La Petite Pérotte
The remains of the dolmen are located on a hill about 50 m from La Grosse Pérotte . The massive capstone is about 4.5 m long, 2.5 m wide and 1.4 meters thick. It lies on a regularly shaped square chamber made of four preserved supporting stones.
As with his neighbor, whose little counterpart he is, there are many stones around the remains of the hill. Aerial photographs as well as excavation and restoration measures in 2012 and 2013 make it clear that there are two concentric stone rings, which formerly as (stone and earth-filled) walls could have enclosed the actual burial chamber.
The graphic and filmic reconstruction of the building (see web link) shows the architectural similarities with the Bazinas in western North Africa ( Maghreb ) .
See also
Around 400 and 700 m to the southwest, in the area of the municipality of Luxé - surrounded by trees and bushes - are the remains of two other megalithic structures ( Dolmen de la Maison de la Vieille and Motte de la Garde ).
The Dolmen de La Jacquille (also Motte de la Jacquille ) in the municipality of Fontenille ( 45 ° 57 ′ 27 ″ N , 0 ° 10 ′ 5 ″ E ), about 1.5 km away , is the only megalithic complex in Europe with a swell - and lintel anchored movable stone door.
Partial reconstructions of the La Petite Pérotte and La Jacquille dolmens can be seen in the Musée d'Angoulême .
literature
- Le Nord-Charente au Néolithique moyen et récent (3500-2900 av. J.-C.): enceintes fossoyées, sépultures mégalithiques et territoires. General Council of the Charente
Web links
- La Grosse Perotte - Photos and information (English)
- La Petite Perotte - Photos and information (English)
- Video of a reconstruction of La Petite Pérotte
- Dolmen of Pérotte - photos + info (French)
- Video
- Video
Coordinates: 45 ° 54 ′ 45 ″ N , 0 ° 8 ′ 36 ″ E