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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmen de Recoles is a simple megalithic monument located in the commune of Joursac, in the department of Cantal. It consists of two orthostats (vertical pillars) and a bedside slab, covered by a single cover table. The two pillars are now slender, reflecting its age and transformation over the centuries. This dolmen is representative of the collective burial structures of Neolithic, during which time sedentary communities raised this type of structure to house the deceased.

The Dolmen de Recolles has been listed as a historic monument since June 16, 1977, and has been officially protected by its heritage significance. This classification preserves this archaeological vestige, while offering a material testimony of funeral practices and beliefs of neolithic societies in Auvergne. Available sources, including Laurent Barbier's work and his collaborators published in 1973, confirm his inclusion in the regional megalithic landscape, alongside other similar sites in the Cantal.

In the Neolithic era, dolmen generally served as collective burials, reflecting a social organization structured around shared funeral rites. In the Auvergne region, these monuments were often located in areas suitable for agriculture or breeding, the main activities of the populations of this period. The Dolmen de Recoules is thus part of a wider network of megalithic sites, illustrating the cultural and technical exchanges between the prehistoric communities of the region.

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