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Origin and history

La Guettaz Cupular Block is part of a set of six coupula stone sites located around the village of Billeème, Savoie. These stones, engraved with circular or oval depressions called cupules, are distributed over a circle of about 1,825 meters in diameter centered on the village. The La Guettaz site has 71 cups, dug by humans, and has been the subject of archaeological excavations on several occasions, including in 1923, 1937, 1971-1972 and 1983.

Billième's cupular blocks, including La Guettaz's, date from the end of the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, according to 14 carbon dates from charcoal found in Santourin, another nearby site. These stones could have a symbolic or astronomical meaning, with some cupulas evoking even a fragment of a sky map, such as those observed on the La Roche site.

Ranked historic monuments in May 1939, these blocks were studied by several archaeologists, including Joseph Tournier, Anthelme Dubiez, Lucien Lagier-Bruno, Bernard Quinet, Françoise Ballet and Philippe Raffaelli. Their research has led to a better understanding of the organization and distribution of these prehistoric remains, which remain a rare testimony of the cultural and ritual practices of ancient societies in Savoy.

The site of La Guettaz, like the other blocks of Billeme, is located in the communal territory, close to the village and the so-called La Croix des Forches. These stones, now protected, offer an overview of engraving techniques and beliefs of local populations more than 4,000 years ago.

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