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Origin and history

The Dolmen de la Pierre-Levée, also known as the Dolmen de Peyrelevade, is a megalithic monument located in the municipality of Lentillac-du-Causse, in the Lot department (Occitanie region). Built at the top of a hill, this simple dolmen dates from Neolithic and illustrates the funerary architecture of this period. It was searched in the early 19th century by Jacques-Antoine Delpon, revealing multiple sepulchral structures under his tumulus.

During the excavations, Delpon discovered ten graves beneath the tumulus, housing isolated or grouped skeletons, as well as calcined bones mixed with coals. A medal with the effigy of Emperor Constantine, anachronistic for the Neolithic, was also found, suggesting re-use or subsequent disturbance. In 1958, a survey produced a pottery attributed to the Bronze Age, confirming a prolonged occupation of the site.

Ranked a historical monument by decree of 12 July 1989, the dolmen of the Pierre Levée is a key vestige of the megalithism in the Lot. His study, documented in particular by Jean Clottes in the Inventoire des megalithes de France (1977), sheds light on neolithic funeral practices and subsequent reappropriations of the site, as evidenced by the artifacts discovered outside the initial chronological context.

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