Construction of dolmen Néolithique (≈ 4100 av. J.-C.)
Estimated period of its construction.
1874
Mention by Jean-Baptiste Bouillet
Mention by Jean-Baptiste Bouillet 1874 (≈ 1874)
Description as "very beautiful dolmen".
1889
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 1889 (≈ 1889)
Official protection of the building.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Dolmen de Farges (cad. C 319) : classification by list of 1889
Key figures
Jean-Baptiste Bouillet - Local historian
Described the dolmen in 1874.
Sylvie Amblard - Archaeologist (CNRS)
Studyed the megaliths of Puy-de-Dôme.
Origin and history
The Dolmen de Farges, also known as the dolmen de Montaury, is a megalithic building located in Saint-Germain-près-Herment, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme. This monument, dated Neolithic, was classified as historical monuments in 1889. It is distinguished by its simple structure, consisting of two orthostats, a bedside slab and a gneisses or embechite cover table. Originally, it was 3 metres long, 2.45 metres wide and 2.10 metres high, but is now partially ruined.
The cover table, overturned inside the bedroom, rests partly on the floor and on one of the supports. The room, rectangular in shape (1.82 m long, 1.40 m wide and 1.50 m high), opens to the south-southeast. The tumulus surrounding it has completely disappeared, and the bedside slab is partially destroyed, a part having been reused as a bridge. No archaeological material was found in the room, since it was emptied in an ancient era.
In 1874, Jean-Baptiste Bouillet described this dolmen as "a very beautiful dolmen", stressing its importance in the local megalithic landscape. Today, there remains a valuable testimony of neolithic funeral practices in Auvergne, although its state of conservation is altered. Available sources, including Sylvie Amblard's work in 1983, confirm her historical and archaeological interest.
