Escout tumulus
The Escout Tumulus ( Occitan : Escot) is a tumulus located between the villages of Précilhon and Escou on the plateau east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques . The site belongs as dolmen 2 to the four dolmens of Peyrecor.
history
The Peyrecor 1 dolmen was destroyed in 1933 to place a cross on the largest capstone.
In 1957, José Miguel de Barandiarán Ayerbe (1889–1991) discovered a 0.9 m high hill with a diameter of about 12.5 m near Dolmen 1. He found four sandstone slabs embedded in the hill and part of the curbs. In 1979 J. Bloit described the burial mound and dolmen. In 1981 the leveling of the tumulus was interrupted by the intervention of G. Marsan. Another attempt in 1989 provoked the intervention of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, which arranged an excavation (1990-1994) and restoration.
The excavation produced a mound of earth 12.5 m in diameter, which was surrounded by a slightly inwardly sloping border made of sandstone slabs. It consisted of 4-8 rows of panels and was 0.9 m high. Inside the hill was an oval chamber consisting of eight orthostats and two intermediate masonry areas . The orthostats are in trenches 10 to 20 cm deep. The off-center chamber was placed in a pit 40 to 50 cm in the ground. It is 0.8 m wide at the entrance and expands to 1.6 m. Their length is about 3.3 m. The height of the room was estimated at 1.2 m. The chamber cover is no longer in place. A remnant of the pavement was found. The access from drywall is in the southeast. The bounding sandstone slabs were partially destroyed a long time ago (half the height).
The dolmen represents an architecture that is dominant on the Causses du Quercy in the Lot department . As early as 1981 G. Marsan found a large sandstone slab in front of the apse , the function of which is unknown. Access to the chamber was blocked by stone blocks. A polished ax was found in a wall niche . The presence of charcoal suggests that the dolmen was used for cremations.
The excavations around the monument have documented five phases of use. The first phase corresponds to the erection of the monument. It is made between 2870 and 2300 BC. Dated. 47 flint fragments , but no pottery, were found at the base of the hill . The second phase dates between 2500 and 2200 BC. The artifacts from this period consist of the polished ax that lay in a niche in the wall, 105 microliths on the mound and a broken vessel. The third phase was in the Early Bronze Age (2400-2000 BC). It is represented by 132 microliths, a grinding wheel and 34 ceramic shards found in the square in front of the hill. During this time, five structures were built on the hill. Four are oval pits. Oval 1 measured 2.1 × 0.9 m and contained charcoal dating from 2432–2036 BC. Was dated. Oval 2 measured 2.1 x 1.1 m and was 0.83 m deep and completely sterile. Oval 3 measured 2.4 × 0.9 m. Oval 4 measured 2.3 x 1.8 m and was 0.64 m deep. The fifth structure was a pile of sandstone slabs on the hill.
The fourth phase of use is dated to the late Bronze Age. It is represented by a stone box of 1.4 × 1.2 m, which dates from 1075 - 814 BC. Contained charcoal dated BC. During the fifth phase of use, an oval hollow 1.0 × 0.7 m and a depth of 25 cm was excavated on the facade northeast of the hill. Its content was dated to 761-402 BC. Dated and belongs to a stove.
See also
literature
- Patrice Dumontier, Bui Thi Mai, Christine Heinz: Le dolmen sous tumulus n ° 2 de Peyrecor et son paléoenvironnement à Escout (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) - Bulletin de la société préhistorique française - 1997
- J. Blot: Revue de Pau et du Béarn No. 7-1979
- C. Blanc: Cahier du groupe archéologique des Pyrénées Occidentales - Pau 1981
Web links
Coordinates: 43 ° 11 ′ 50.3 ″ N , 0 ° 33 ′ 1.3 ″ W.