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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The dolmens of Surguières and Saplos constitute a megalithic necropolis composed of five dolmens (and one probable sixth) distributed between the communes of Buzeins and Gaillac-d'Aveyron, in the department of Aveyron. These funeral monuments date from Neolithic time and illustrate the collective burial practices of that time. Three dolmens, numbered 1 to 3, are located southwest of the hamlet of Surguières, in the commune of Gaillac-d'Aveyron, while dolmens 4 and 5 are located southeast of Buzeins. A sixth dolmen, now destroyed, would have existed near departmental D155, of which only part of the tumulus remains.

One of the dolmens of Surguières was classified as historical monuments in 1933, although the protection order remains unclear as to its exact location. The dolmen of Saplos n°2, on the other hand, is included in the inventory of historical monuments. These structures, composed of orthostats and tumulus, were often oriented on specific axes, such as the azimuth 100° for one of them. Archaeological remains, such as flint arrow tips and pottery studs, have been discovered and are now preserved at the Musée de Séverac-le-Château.

The dolmens of this region reflect the importance of collective burials in Neolithic, a period marked by the sedentarization of populations and the development of agriculture. These monuments, often associated with complex funeral rites, served as memorial sites for local communities. Their preservation makes it possible to study the beliefs and social organizations of the time, although some structures have been damaged or destroyed by modern developments, such as the construction of departmental D155.

The exact location of these dolmens is sometimes uncertain, as evidenced by the accuracy considered "very insufficient" in the geographical databases. Despite this, their study continues to provide valuable insights into the megalithic heritage of Occitanie and the lifestyles of neolithic populations in this region.

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