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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dolmens of Briande, located in Arçay in the department of Vienna (New Aquitaine), form a megalithic ensemble dated from Neolithic. This group initially consists of three dolmens, one of whom is now missing. The two preserved dolmens, 400 metres apart, have distinct architectural features: the first, a 10 metres long covered aisle, delivered artifacts (bones, ceramics, flint) during excavations conducted by Jules Richard between 1887 and 1889. The second, smaller, keeps a overturned cover table and partially standing orthostats.

Dolmen No. 1, listed as a historical monument in 1978, reveals a sandstone structure with seven orthostats and a broken table. The objects discovered (campaniform vase, schist pendant, arrow frames) suggest complex funeral and artisanal practices. Nearby, an unexcavated tumulus (the great tumulus of Chassigny) and undated circular ditches complete this archaeological landscape, although their attribution to the Neolithic remains uncertain for some elements.

Dolmen 2, less documented, shows traces of illegal looting. Its room, initially 4.50 m by 3.20 m, is bounded by sandstone slabs, some of which could belong to an angeline portico. The third dolmen, reported in 1837 by Arnault-Poirier and then in 1915 by Chabonneau-Lassay, has now disappeared, just like the nearby tombs, destroyed during subsequent re-memberments. These remains illustrate the evolution of funeral practices and land use in the Neolithic region.

Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight the importance of this site to understand the megalithic constructions of the Poitou. Dolmen No. 1, systematically searched, offers valuable material testimony, while other less studied structures ask questions about their exact function and chronology. The registration of Dolmen No. 1 in 1978 marks the recognition of its heritage value, although shadow zones persist on the original extent of the site and its links to the Chassigny tumulus.

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