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Origin and history

The Dolmen dit La Pierre Levée, located in Bougon in the Deux-Sèvres, is a funeral monument dated from the Middle Neolithic to the Final. He was initially classified as angevin-type dolmen by Claude Burnez and Jean-Pierre Mohen, before the 1995 excavations conducted by Frédéric Bouin revealed atypical characteristics that brought him closer to the Angoumoisin type. Its circular tumulus, lined with a curved stone wall arranged in scale, houses a trapezoidal chamber preceded by a deported corridor, covered with a single table of Bathonian limestone inclined forward.

The archaeological excavations, carried out in 1840 by Baugier, in 1986 by Jean-Pierre Mohen, and in 1995 by Frédéric Bouin, revealed a ceramic and bone furniture attributable to the Middle Neolithic to Final Neolithic. Discovered tesses, decorated with parallel bands and oblique impressions, as well as human bones, confirm its sepulchral function. The dolmen, classified as Historic Monument in 1875 and then in 1971, benefited from restorations after each excavation campaign, notably to stabilize its tumulus and highlight the site.

The monument is distinguished by its orientation on a south slope, near a top overlooking the Niortese Sèvre valley, about 1,600 metres from the Bougon necropolis. Its architecture combines angoumoisin elements (plan in "Q", circular tumulus) and angelvins (portic, narrow tumulus), with limestone slabs from a nearby valley. The voluntary inclination of the orthostats towards the inside of the chamber, as well as the structure of the corridor, suggest a thoughtful conception, perhaps linked to specific ritual practices.

Modern interventions have made it possible to correct initial interpretations, such as the late nature of the northern retaining wall, formerly considered to be neolithic. This wall, built later to contain the tumulus scoops, illustrates the subsequent adaptations of the site. The calving pits of the corridor slabs, found in 1986, on the other hand, confirm the hypothesis of an original trilith, typical of the dolmens of this region.

The Dolmen La Pierre Levée is part of a dense megalithic landscape, marked by the proximity of the Bougon necropolis. Its archaeological furniture, though poor, offers valuable clues on the funeral and artisanal practices of Neolithic. Black to mica degreasing ceramics, similar to those discovered by Mohen, bear witness to cultural and technical continuity over centuries, until the final Neolithic.

Ranked among the first historical monuments of France in 1875, this dolmen embodies both a local heritage and a major source for understanding the Neolithic societies of the Poitou. Its restoration and enhancement by the Deux-Sèvres department, the owner of the site, reflect the importance attached to preserving this exceptional testimony of regional prehistory.

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