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Origin and history

The Cave aux Fées is a recent Neolithic covered driveway (c. 2200 B.C.), located in Brueil-en-Vexin, Yvelines. This megalithic monument, located at 115 m above sea level on the northern slope of the Montcient valley, is about 14 metres long. Its funerary chamber, slightly trapezoidal, was covered with sandstone slabs that had disappeared today, reused as building materials in the 19th century. The site, which was excavated in the 18th century, delivered human bones, flint tools and funerary objects, attesting to its collective burial.

The monument was first reported in 1768 and was the subject of successive excavations, notably in 1824-1825, 1864-1867, and 1889 under the direction of Adrien de Mortillet. This research revealed two layers of bones separated by limestone plaques, as well as traces of fireplaces, pottery, and Gaulish and Roman coins. During World War II, the site was used as a landfill for military equipment before being restored in 1957, when it was classified as a historic monument.

According to estimates by Adrien de Mortillet and Léon Man travailer, the Cave aux Fées had sheltered between 150 and several hundred burials. The bones analysed indicate an average size of 1.61 m for men and 1.52 m for women. The funerary furniture discovered includes flint blades, bone and mother-of-pearl beads, pierced animal teeth, and black pottery teeth. The site, combined with local legends evoking fairies or a white cow, illustrates the symbolic importance of megaliths in popular beliefs.

In 1970, a restoration carried out by the Regional Archaeology Service preserved this exceptional vestige. Owned by the commune since 2007, the Cave aux Fées remains a major testimony of neolithic funeral practices in Île-de-France. Its architecture, with its sandstone orthostates and limestone floor, reflects the expertise of the prehistoric communities of the region, while subsequent excavations have enriched the understanding of its use over several millennia.

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