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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmen des Pierres Blanches is a megalithic building located at 1,249 m above sea level near Castellane, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Built of local limestone on a north-south axis, it belongs to the group of small provencal dolmens of east Var and the Alpes-Maritimes. Its funeral chamber, preceded by a short corridor, is covered with a 9.8-ton slab. The original cairn, partially dismantled, was later used for the construction of walls by local shepherds and farmers.

Found in 2006 by a team from the Musée de Préhistoire des gorges du Verdon, the site delivered 415 fragmented human bones (mostly adults), 82 ornaments (calcareous pearls, shelling, steatite, pyrite ammonite), as well as flint frames and ceramic micro-tasks. These artifacts suggest a collective funeral use, typical of the final Neolithic. The limestone pebbles found in the oldest layer, not natural in this geological context, could indicate specific ritual practices.

The dating of the monument, based on architectural typology, wing beads and regional context, places it around 2,500 BC. Ranked as historical monuments in 1994, the dolmen illustrates the ancient human occupation of this mountainous area, where the clear panorama (south oriented) could have had a symbolic or astronomical meaning. His pre-search looting, however, limited his complete understanding of his history.

The White Stones dolmen is part of a network of megalithic sites in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, reflecting the cultural exchanges and funeral practices of the late Neolithic. The ornament elements, varied in their materials and shapes (flat pearls, barrels, pendants), testify to a developed craft and to contacts with other regions. Ceramics, probably after burial, suggest reuse of the site at later times.

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