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Origin and history

The Dolmen de la Gaillarde is a megalithic building located in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, in the Var department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Dated from Neolithic, it is part of a group of three graves, two of which were destroyed in the 1960s when the Beaumont subdivision was built. This dolmen, called "dolmen no.1", is the only one still standing, although strongly degraded. He received a restoration in 1995 under the direction of Hélène Barge, archeoanthropologist specializing in megaliths.

The monument is built with local shale and gneiss slabs. Its sepulchral chamber, 2.50 m long by 2 m wide, extends through a corridor opening to the west. One notable feature is the presence of its cover table, rare for a Provençal dolmen, although it collapsed inwards. The other two tombs, now extinct, had distinct structures: one was bounded by orthostats, the other combined a circular wall with a rectangular slab. The results of the excavations conducted in 1908 by Paul Raymond and in 1924 by V. Cotte were never published.

Ranked as historical monuments since 8 January 1910, the Dolmen de la Gaillarde illustrates the neolithic funeral architecture of the region. Its present state is the result of both the degradations suffered over the centuries and attempts to preserve, such as the restoration of 1995. The uncertainties surrounding the ancient excavations underline the importance of this site for understanding the ritual and social practices of Neolithic in Provence.

The building is also distinguished by its geographical context: located near the Mediterranean coast, it reflects the early human occupation of this area. The materials used, from local rocks, show adaptation to the available resources. In spite of the losses suffered (dams torn or displaced), the dolmen remains an emblematic example of the megalithic Var heritage, highlighted by discovery routes such as those proposed in Les Megalithes du Var (2005).

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