The Dolmen de Bagneux is a

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

located in

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is the largest

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

in France, and one of the largest in Europe.

Introduction

The dolmen in Bagneux is the largest of the 4,500 dolmens scattered within 60 French departments. Although some portal dolmens in Gironde and in

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

are longer, such as the Flat Stones in Lockmariaker, which is long, and La Roche-aux-Fées of similar in size, none are as high or as voluminous as the dolmen de Bagneaux. In Europe only the Spanish dolmen in Antequera, near

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, is larger.

Description

Size and temporal background

The dolmen measures 4.25 metres wide at the entrance and widens to 5.4 metres at the end of the chamber, which stretches 17.3 metres in length. Like all dolmens, this one is likely to date to the Neolithic, c. 3000 BC, and would have received a large number of burials.

Materials

The flagstones of tertiary sandstone which make up the monument come from nearby. A layer of these sandstones, more or less dislocated, exist on the nearby heights of Bournand and Terrefort. The flagstones of the dolmen were probably scattered on the slopes of the hill from where they were pushed down, being transported about 200 to 400 metres. The dolmen is oriented SE as are nearly all dolmens in Anjou.

Description

The dolmen is composed of an intact chamber and a damaged porch. The chamber is almost rectangular, only a little narrower on the entrance side. It is made of a single bottom flagstone, 4 supports on the northern side, 4 on the southern side, 4 covering stones and 2 flagstones framing the door. The stone on the right and side, when you look at the monument, is very thin and not very old. It is used to hide a recent wall. The support, in the middle of the chamber does not support anything and is possibly the remains of a dividing wall. Such walls are common among the dolmens of Anjou. The chamber is thus made of 15 flagstones and two wedging stones. Additional wedging stones are possibly still buried.

Legal status

The Dolmen de Bagneux is located on private property. Its commercial exploitation is ruled by the protection and the conservation of the monuments classés of Monuments historiques (France).

References

Site internet du Dolmen de Bagneux

External links

Orientations of Dolmens of West-Central France
{{European megaliths Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd millennium BC Dolmens in France Archaeological sites in France

Introduction

Description

Size and temporal background

Materials

Description

Legal status

See also

References

External links