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Origin and history

Cantegrel dolmen, also known as dolmen des Clotes or Roc del Cayre, is a megalithic building located in Saint-Chamassy, Dordogne department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. This funeral monument, dated from the Prehistory, bears witness to the sepulchral practices of the Neolithic societies of the region. It has been studied and searched several times since the late 19th century, revealing human remains and lithic artifacts.

Testut was the first to study dolmen in 1881, entrusting the excavations to his student Louis Gouzot. The latter discovered an almost complete skeleton, with the exception of the skull, as well as a flat blade in flint. In 1898 Émile Rivière carried out a brief search and published the first detailed description under the name dolmen des Clotes. The works of Peyrony and Belvès in 1913, and those of Secondat and Marchadier in 1935, deepened the knowledge of this site.

The dolmen is oriented north-north-west/south-south-east and consists of five red sandstone orthostats, some of which no longer support the 3.50 m long oval table. The sepulchral bedroom, 1,52 m wide in its center, opens to the east. Changes are likely to occur in the construction of a road adjacent to the 19th century, resulting in the removal or displacement of some slabs. A remaining slab on the west side has grooves suggesting prior use as a polisher.

In 2008, the Cantegrel dolmen was listed as a historic monument, recognizing its heritage importance. Successive excavations have partially documented its history, although some archaeological layers have not been fully explored. The artifacts discovered, such as the flint of flint found by Rivière, attest to an ancient human occupation and complex funeral rituals.

The current dolmen structure shows signs of disturbance, including misalignment of the south slab and lack of support for the table. These alterations could result from subsequent human interventions, such as the construction of the neighbouring road. Despite these modifications, the site retains a major archaeological value to understand megalithic practices in Périgord.

Studies conducted between the late 19th and mid 20th centuries have partially reconstructed the history of this monument. The work of Secondat and Marchadier in 1935, in particular, offers a more comprehensive analysis, integrating the observations of previous excavations. This research highlights the importance of dolmen in the regional megalithic landscape.

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