Hypogée du Castelet

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Hypogée du Castelet

The Hypogée du Castelet (also called Grotte-dolmen Arnaud ) is a gallery grave southwest of Fontvieille, near Arles in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in Provence in France. It is located in an oval artificial hill on the north side of the road from Arles to Fontvieille, is sunk into the rock and seasonally filled with marshy water. Access is via a ramp at the western end.

The Hypogée du Castelet is around 20.0 meters long, with a partially covered anteroom 25.0 meters long, 2.0 meters deep, has walls that slope strongly inwards and is therefore 2.0 to 3.0 meters wide. The ceiling, in which there is a round opening that was subsequently introduced, consists of large panels. The access consists of a rectangular core hole with rounded corners.

There are another three hypogea of ​​similar design in the village: "Hypogée de Bounias" and "Hypogée de la Source" or "Grotte de la Source" (in round hills) and the fairy grotto or the Hypogée de Cordes. The four graves are under monument protection.

context

It appears that the plants date from around 2500 BC. BC until the bell beaker period (until about 2000 BC) were used. This type of artificial cave in the form of galleries is typical of the Arles area. Artificial rock chambers are also found in other parts of southern France (and on the Marne ) as well as in Sardinia, Sicily, Malta and the Balearic Islands. The Majorcan Cuevas with their side niches largely correspond to the fairy grotto of Arles in that they have side niches that have the same shape, with the Arles group being emphasized by its size.

literature

  • Alastair Service, Jean Bradbery: The Standing Stones of Europe. A Guide to the great Megalithic Monuments . Dent, London 1993, ISBN 0-460-86115-8 .

Web links

Coordinates: 43 ° 42 '38.1 "  N , 4 ° 41' 1.2"  E