Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dolmens de Chardonnet, also called dolmens de Cadoule, are two megalithic monuments located in the municipality of La Canourgue, in the department of Lozère (Occitanie region). They date from the Neolithic and form part of a set of five dolmens aligned on 1.2 km, mentioned in 1869 by L. de Malafosse. Among them, the large dolmen and the small dolmen, about 100 m apart, were particularly studied. These structures probably served as collective burials, typical of the agro-pastoral societies of the time.

The Grand dolmen, classified as a historic monument in 1889, was originally a dolmen sewn to a corridor, facing east/west, with a rectangular chamber of 4 m long. His monumental cover table (4.50 m long), now fragmented, was described before his mutilation in 1868 thanks to a photograph preserved by the Mende Agricultural Society. The access corridor, about 1.30 m wide, preceded a chamber whose side walls (orthostats) were inclined, reducing the interior space. In the west, the bedside slab was replaced by a dry stone wall, suggesting subsequent re-use as shelter by shepherds.

The small dolmen, located to the east of the Grand dolmen, has a more modest structure: 2.80 m long for 1 m wide, with an overturned cover table (2.50 m long). These dolmens illustrate the neolithic funeral architecture of the Sauveterre causse, marked by construction techniques in large stone slabs (megaliths). Their present state reflects both their seniority and the alterations suffered over the centuries, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The mention of the five dolmens by Malafosse in 1869 underscores the archaeological importance of the site, although only two were documented in detail. The classification of the Grand dolmen in 1889 reflects the early recognition of its heritage value, in a context where megalithic monuments were still poorly protected. Today, these dolmens offer an overview of funeral practices and the spatial organization of neolithic communities in Occitanie.

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