Construction of dolmen Néolithique (≈ 4100 av. J.-C.)
Building of the megalithic monument.
1997
Registration for Historic Monuments
Registration for Historic Monuments 1997 (≈ 1997)
Official protection by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Parcel D 36: inscription by order of 13 August 1997
Key figures
Information non disponible - No character cited
The source text does not mention any historical actors.
Origin and history
The Dolmen de Cazarède is a megalithic monument located on a hill overlooking the Tarn Valley in Viala-du-Tarn (Aveyron). Dated from Neolithic, it consists of two orthostates in local sandstone and a covering slab in eye-gneiss, measuring 5.80 m long. This simple dolmen, oriented east-west, partially retains its tumulus to the north and south, although it is disturbed by modern spies. The roof table, which is well oversized, has 67 small man-made cups, probably made after the monument was built.
The funerary chamber, delimited by 2.20 m and 2.40 m long slabs, was searched at an unknown time, but no archaeological furniture was listed. The acidity of the local soil did not allow the conservation of possible bones. The cupules, dug with a lithic tool, could have a symbolic or ritual meaning, although their interpretation remains uncertain. Their arrangement, sometimes grouped or isolated, does not reveal any apparent reason.
Listed as historical monuments in 1997, this dolmen illustrates the logistical challenges of Neolithic societies, including the transport of the covering slab from an extraction site potentially several kilometres away. The sandstone of the orthostates comes from rocky banks a few hundred meters away. This monument is representative of the megaliths of the highlands of the Massif Central, showing funeral and cultural practices of the time.
