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Origin and history

The Dolmen de Bommiers, also known as the Dolmen de la Pierre Fondue, is a megalithic burial erected during the Neolithic, located on the plateau of Sainte-Maure, 3 km from the centre of town. Composed of six limestone and sandstone blocks, including a 1.70 m high triangular slab, it served as a collective burial site. Although looted, its architecture (4 orthostats supporting a table of 3.10 m) and its south-east/north-west orientation reflect the funeral practices of the era. Discovered in the 19th century, it was studied in 1842 by archaeologist Jean-Jacques Bourassé, who noted his good state of conservation despite subsequent degradations.

The site is part of a dense megalithic complex around the Vienna Valley, a third group distinct from the tourist megalithism. Nearby, the Leperon des Deux Manses delivered prehistoric tools (gratters, polished axes, bronze blades) dating from the Neolithic, confirming an ancient human occupation. The dolmen, reported to the Société archéologique de Touraine, was inventoried in 1923 by Louis Dubreuil, then in 1963 by Gérard Cordier. Its inscription in historical monuments in 1945 underlined its heritage importance, despite the absence of funeral furniture.

The 35 cm thick blanket has a non-linear line carved by man, showing a possible symbolic or ritual arrangement. The stones, extracted locally, show traces of sharping and rendering, though not cut. Dolmen thus illustrates the megalithic construction techniques and funeral beliefs of Neolithic in Touraine, in a geographical context marked by multiple prehistoric deposits (Chelléen, Moustarian).

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