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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Dolmen de Sainte-Marie is a megalithic monument located in Châteauneuf-la-Forêt, in the Haute-Vienne department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Dating from Neolithic, it bears witness to the funeral and architectural practices of prehistoric societies of that time. This type of structure, composed of large erect stones, generally served as a collective burial and marked the landscape in a sustainable manner.

The dolmen was classified as historical monuments by an order of 27 December 1984, thus recognizing its heritage importance. It is located near the hamlet of Sainte-Marie, on the commune of Châteauneuf-la-Forêt, and is referenced in the base Mérimée under the code INSEE 87040. Its exact location is reported as Beauvais, with a location accuracy deemed to be satisfactory a priori.

In Neolithic, local communities lived mainly in agriculture, livestock and gathering, organizing their space around collective monuments such as dolmens. These structures, in addition to their funeral function, could serve as territorial or symbolic landmarks. Their construction reflected a social organization capable of mobilizing significant resources and labour, emphasizing the cultural and spiritual importance of these buildings to the people of the time.

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