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Origin and history

The dolmen de la Graou, located in Saint-Cézaire-sur-Siagne in the Alpes-Maritimes, is a megalithic monument emblematic of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Ranked as historical monuments in 1889, it reflects the importance of collective funeral practices in Neolithic and Chalcolithic times. Its architecture, consisting of a trapezoidal chamber (1.90 m × 1.70 m) and an oval tumulus of 16 m × 12 m, reflects the megalithic construction techniques of the time.

The site delivered significant archaeological remains, including human bones (some incinerated), flint arrow tips, pearls, polished axes, pottery studs and a bronze thread. These artifacts, dated from the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, illustrate funeral rituals and cultural exchanges in local prehistoric communities. A fragmented covering slab, still visible on the tumulus, suggests an initially larger structure.

Included in a karst landscape marked by caves, the dolmen de la Graou is part of a larger megalithic ensemble studied in the Alpes-Maritimes. The excavations and research, particularly those cited in Dolmens, pseudo-dolmens, tumulus and erect stones of the Alpes-Maritimes (2014), underline its role in regional funeral practices. Its early ranking in 1889 made it one of the first prehistoric monuments protected in France.

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