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Origin and history

The Dolmen des Sept Chemins, located in Bougon in the Deux-Sèvres, is a megalithic monument dated to the Neolithic. It was first searched in 1840 by Baugier, then in 1986 by Jean-Pierre Mohen before being restored. A thorough excavation of the tumulus was carried out in 1995 by Frédéric Bouin, revealing unheard of architectural details, such as a curved wall of neolithic origin and an atypical structure combining angevin and angoumoisin influences.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 1875 and then in 1971, this dolmen is distinguished by its tilted cover table, resting on three orthostats, and a trapezoidal burial chamber preceded by a narrow corridor. The excavations revealed a modest archaeological furniture, composed mainly of black ceramics to degreasing mica and human bones, attributable to the medium to final Neolithic. These artifacts suggest a prolonged use of the site as a collective burial.

The dolmen is close to the Bougon necropolis, on a south-facing slope, overlooking the Niortese Sèvre valley. Unlike the first assumptions classifying him as dolmen angevin, Bouin's recent studies attach him to the angoumoisin type, characterized by a "Q" plan and a circular tumulus, while noting local peculiarities such as a short corridor and a room of unusual proportions. The stones used, of Bathonian limestone, come from a valley located 200 meters south.

The successive excavations made it possible to clarify the evolution of the monument: the north rectilinear wall, originally attributed to the Neolithic, proved to be a posterior addition intended to contain the tumulus scoops. This detail, coupled with the absence of a specific internal structure in the tumulus, offers a new insight into the architectural and funeral practices of the Neolithic communities of the region.

The site, owned by the Deux-Sèvres department, was the subject of development work after the excavations of 1995. Its ranking among the Historical Monuments and its proximity to other megalithic sites of Bougon make it a major testimony of the human occupation and funeral rites of the Neolithic in the Poitou-Charentes (now New Aquitaine).

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