La Clape necropolis
The necropolis of La Clape, discovered in 1965, is located on the La Clape massif in Laroque-de-Fa in the Aude department in France . The necropolis consists of seven dolmens and a stone box . In France, dolmen is the generic term for Neolithic megalithic structures of all kinds (see: French nomenclature ).
The slabs used as supporting and cap stones were found on site. The smaller stone material was used for the cairn . The steep slope on which the monuments were erected was one reason for their destruction. Seven megalithic systems were built on the northern and western scree slopes of the massif. The eighth is further east on a lower slope.
Tombe No. 1 is well preserved in a round cairn. It has a small rectangular chamber that is extended by a corridor the same width as the chamber. Few archaeological objects were found: triangular and trapezoidal knives and shells of the sea snail "simple pigeon snail" (Columbella rustica). The human remains comprised 94 teeth taken from at least 15 people.
Tomb No. 2 is the smallest in the necropolis. While the other dolmens are, this is a small stone box. The rectangular chamber is still intact on three sides. The finds include shards of a brown vase decorated with gray paste from the Bronze Age .
Tombe No. 3 is a rectangular shrine closed on all four sides. The location on the steep slope did not favor the preservation of the contents. A flint knife , 11 teeth, a fragment of the skull and some phalanges have survived . The few remains made it possible to identify two people: an adult between 20 and 30 years old and a child between 6 and 7 years old.
Tombe No. 4 is like a series of dolmens with a corridor the same width as the chamber, of which Dolmen 1 at La Clape is the most characteristic example. In this case, the complete lack of material transport is remarkable. The dolmen was apparently built from slabs found on the spot. The finds are limited to ten shards. Some found themselves between the rock that formed the seat of the monument.
Tombe No. 5 is a perturbed rectangular chamber. The sloping capstone stood on the west side of the dolmen, on the cairn. The overturned or inclined bearing stones were founded in a screed made of limestone . The anthropological remains, including the teeth, made it possible to determine the presence of 24 mostly young people. There was only one adult male. The finds: - a pendant carved from a shell - a bone button with a V-shaped perforation - a bone fragment with an incised round groove. - a blade and a knife made of brown flint - a round and flat pearl in the shell - a rare pierced arrowhead made of white flint - a broken snail - two fragments of a vase bottom with a ring-shaped base - three pierced conch shells - ten teeth, two of which are pierced are.
Two rings made of gray metal, a metal rod with a blunt tip and iron slag were added to the prehistoric finds.
Tombe # 6 is about 150 m north of dolmens 2, 3, 4 and 5 in a row with tombe # 7. Tombe # 6 is in poor condition. It was an elongated rectangular monument. Little is left of the chamber. The bearing stones have fallen over and broken (especially the floor slab).
The finds are limited to: - an arrowhead made of white flint - shards of a brown, wide-mouthed vase - brown shards of a hand-formed container - further ceramic shards from the menu “tournée” - five fragments of a thick-walled red container - the arrowhead and some shards seem to belong to the Neolithic .
Tombe No. 7 is particularly interesting from an architectural point of view. It is a typical passage dolmen ( French dolmen à couloir ) with a narrow, rectangular chamber and a narrow passage made of dry masonry (local limestone) in the south. There is no deck table.
The excavation yielded osteological and archaeological finds, mainly pottery found in the chamber. With the exception of rare finds that can be dated late, such as fragments of flat floors, a large part of the ceramic material is relatively old. The vase with smooth pearls in relief can be attributed to several early Neolithic cultures. The bowls and ball vases also refer to ceramic styles of the younger Neolithic period. The kettle shells are in the style of the Occitan- Catalan Véraza culture (Vérazien).
In contrast to No. 5 and No. 8, the dolmen does not seem to have been reused. This allows its construction and use to date to the most recent Neolithic, in the second third of the 3rd millennium BC. BC (about 2600 years BC), to be assigned.
The bones were bleached or encrusted in contact with the limestone. The teeth were identified as remains from 24 people (9 of whom are over 10 years old).
Tombe No. 8 is set apart from the other dolmens, near the highest point of the La Clape massif. Its polygonal chamber in the middle of the cairn has been preserved in the lower area without a recognizable passage. Nearby is the Dolmen de Coume Jonquière.
See also
literature
- Jean Guilaine, Henri Duday, Jean Lavergne: La Nécropole Mégalithique de la Clape (Laroque de Fa, Aude), Laboratoire de Préhistoire et de Palethnologie, Dépôt de fouilles préhistoriques, Carcassonne 1972.
Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 57 ′ 0.4 " N , 2 ° 34 ′ 32.2" E