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Origin and history

The Dolmen d'Artxuita is a western-Pyrenean dolmen located in Irouléguy, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. It dates from the Neolithic and has been built about 600 meters southeast of the Dolmen d'Arrondo. This funerary monument has been classified as historical monuments since 1958, highlighting its archaeological and heritage importance.

The tumulus, now very eroded, has a circular shape of approximately 9 metres in diameter and a maximum height of 0.90 metres. The sepulchral chamber is bounded by four sandstone orthostats, while three slabs visible in the vicinity may correspond to its original covering elements. These features are a typical example of the megalithic constructions in the region.

The Dolmen d'Artxuita is referred to in the Merimée database under the code INSEE 64274, corresponding to the municipality of Irouléguy. Its approximate address, derived from GPS coordinates, is 5113 Chuluitenea, 64220 Irouléguy. The accuracy of its location is estimated as fair (level 5/10), and the site is protected by a classification order dated 21 May 1958.

Dolmens, like that of Artxuita, were places of collective burial in the Neolithic. They reflect the funeral practices and beliefs of the sedentary farming communities of the time. These monuments were often associated with rituals and marked the landscape, serving as symbolic and social landmarks for local populations.

Available sources, including Wikipedia and Monumentum, also refer to bibliographical references, such as the book Monuments megalithices en Aquitaine by Alain Beyneix (2009). The latter provides additional details about the megalithic sites of the region, placing the dolmen d'Artxuita in a wider archaeological context.

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