Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dolmen de Saint-Contignarde, also known as the Dolmen de Coutignargues, is a megalithic monument located in Fontvieille, Bouches-du-Rhône. Dated from Neolithic, it was initially classified among the aisles covered by Cazalis de Fondouce, although it is actually a dolmen with elongated chamber and short corridor, built in a trapezoidal pit. Its dry stone walls, arranged in piles of plates, and its oval tumulus (17.40 m × 10.80 m) make it a remarkable example of the funeral architecture of the era.

The site was explored several times: a first unsuccessful excavation took place in 1876 under the direction of Cazalis de Fondouce, Huart and Nicolas. In 1889-1890 the Brothers of the Christian Schools of Arles resumed their research, followed by a 1972 campaign led by Gérard Sauzade. The latter discovered rich archaeological furniture, including flint blades, arrow frames, serpentine or callai beads, and bone punches, reflecting neolithic funeral and craft practices.

Ranked a historic monument in 1894, the dolmen is distinguished by its internal structure: a bedroom of 7.60 m long, preceded by a corridor on a slope of 3 m, all paved with pebbles and girded with corbelled walls. Its present state, partially preserved, offers an overview of construction techniques and funeral rituals of the Neolithic communities of Provence. Successive excavations have clarified its role in the regional megalithic landscape, notably as an archetype of elongated dolmens.

External links