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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmen de Liniez, also known as Pierre Levée or Pierres Folles, is an angeline megalithic building located in the Indre department in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Built in Neolithic, it stands out for its sixteen blocks of sandstone, including three roof tables, extending 10.50 metres long and 5.70 metres wide. Its entrance, oriented to the northeast, led to an antechamber and a partially preserved funeral room, with a bedside slab of 3 meters long. Remains of a tumulus were still visible in 1875, reflecting its ritual and funeral significance.

The dolmen was searched between 1875 and 1876 by the archaeologist Ludovic Martinet, who discovered a heteroclite material: flints of flints, spikes of sandstone arrows, Gaulish coins, iron fibula, tensons of pottery of various periods, as well as human and animal bones. Among the human remains, five individuals were identified, including one woman under the age of 25 and one man with a possible trippanation. These discoveries suggest a re-use of the site throughout the ages, well beyond its original period.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 10 June 1927, the Dolmen of Liniez illustrates the megalithic architecture of Berry. Its structure, although partially collapsed, preserves a 1.80 m high funeral chamber, closed by an imposing bedside slab. The paved ground discovered between the entrance and the anteroom, as well as the bones covered with flat stones, confirm its funeral and perhaps ceremonial use. This site remains a major testimony of neolithic practices in central France.

Martinet's excavations revealed a voluntary filling of the chamber by soil and rubbish, about 1 metre deep. This stratification allowed the discovery of objects dating from various periods, ranging from Neolithic to Roman times, indicating a long-term use of the place. The two Gaulish currencies and the rubble of Roman tiles bear witness to an occupation or re-appropriation of the dolmen during antiquity.

Today, the Dolmen de Liniez, located on the way from Liniez to Vatan, remains an emblematic site of the megalithic heritage of Indre. Its state of conservation, despite the collapses of some tables, makes it a subject of study for archaeologists and a place of visit for enthusiasts of prehistoric history. Its ranking among historical monuments underlines its cultural and scientific importance.

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