Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dolmen de Bois-l'Évêque is a megalithic vault located on the edge of the municipalities of Pierre-la-Treiche and Sexey-aux-Forges, in the department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, in the Grand Est region. This funerary monument, dated Neolithic, was discovered between 1906 and 1907 by Jules Beaupré, who carried out the excavations and restoration. It has been classified as historical monuments since 22 January 1910.

The building consists of a 4.50-metre long, 1.80-metre wide trunk, surrounded by a tumulus of 8 metres in diameter and 0.60 to 0.80 metres in height. The structure is bounded by twenty-two vertical slabs, seven of which are for large sides and four for small ones, with an average height of one metre. The floor was covered with a slab, and according to Beaupré, the trunk was probably surmounted by a gill and earth cover.

During the excavations, Jules Beaupré discovered the bones of four individuals, poorly preserved, as well as a lithic furniture composed of two arrow frames (a losangic and a triangular), attributed to the final Neolithic. A third frame was reportedly recovered by a clandestine searcher under the pavement of the room. These findings attest to the funeral use of the site during this period.

The dolmen is now owned by the municipality of Sexey-aux-Forges. Its conservation status and precise location remain subject to assessment, with a location accuracy considered fair (note 5/10).

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