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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The dolmens de la Betoulle form a set of four megalithic structures, situated on horseback in the communes of Berneuil and Breuilaufa, in Haute-Vienne (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). These monuments, arranged in trapeze, date from Neolithic. Only Dolmen No. 2 was thoroughly searched in 1986, revealing an east-westly rectangular burial chamber, protected by the collapse of its cover table. The exhumed furniture – frame of arrows, flint tools and decorated ceramics – attests to an occupation related to the Artenacian culture, typical of the region.

Dolmen No. 4 was the first protected, listed as historical monuments on 21 June 1982, followed by the other three on 1 November 1984. Dolmen No. 2, restored after its excavation, is distinguished by its table of 3.60 m long, covering a room bounded by seven pillars. A dry stone corridor, 1.20 m long, extends the southwest opening. Originally, the cairn was 0.65 m high in 1874, but its erosion reduced it to 0.20-0.40 m today. The other dolmens, in ruins, were not studied.

Archaeological discoveries of Dolmen No. 2 include objects characteristic of neolithic funeral practices: daggers, scrapers, retouched flint blades, and pottery studs. These artifacts, combined with frames of peduncle arrows and ailerons, confirm that the site belongs to the Artenacian tradition, a cultural facet of the final Neolithic in the centre-west of France. The dolmens, although partially degraded, remain major testimonies of the collective funeral rites of that time.

The location of the dolmens, at the border of the municipalities of Berneuil and Breuilaufa, reflects their integration into a larger megalithic landscape, typical of the Haute-Vienne. Their late protection (1980s) points to a gradual awareness of the heritage value of these remains. Today, the site illustrates both the technical know-how of Neolithic builders and the conservation challenges of dry stone monuments, exposed to weather and erosion for millennia.

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