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Origin and history

The Dolmen du Champ-du-Ruisseau, discovered in 1949 by Dr. J.-B. Glotin, is an aisle covered by the Armo Rican type dated Neolithic. Located near the river Auxence, it is about 7 meters long and is oriented east/west. Its 19 slabs come from local sandstones and Ingrandes pudding, transported from nearby deposits. The building, partially restored between 1961 and 1962, reveals a complex architecture: an antichamber, sepulchral chamber, polisher integrated with a slab, and tumulus surrounded by an oval peristalith. Traces of Gallo-Roman reuse were identified.

The archaeological excavations revealed a variety of objects: flint tools (gratters, nucleous, piercing), campaniform pottery teasses, and stratigraphic layers dating back to the Middle Ages and modern times. A 14-carbon dating of charcoals, between 1210 and 475 B.C., appears out of date with respect to the discovered neolithic material, suggesting a technical error. The site, classified as Historical Monument in 1961, presents analogies with other Breton covered alleys, such as Men-ar-Rumpet in Kerbors.

The covered gangway was initially covered with a cairn in phtanite and earth, partially dismantled in modern times for local work. Its entrance, barred by a prismatic threshold, led to an antechamber separated from the funeral chamber by a partition of fragile slabs, now disappeared. The paved soil and internal structures (U-shaped in phtanite, pole hole) raise questions about its ritual or practical uses. The site illustrates neolithic expertise in megalithic construction and local resource management.

The restoration of the 1960s helped stabilize the structure, although some slabs, too fragile, could not be replaced. The polisher integrated with a cover table, composed of parallel grooves and bowls, demonstrates a possible re-use of the stone before or after the dolmen was built. The peristalith enclosure and the "walk" of flat slabs surrounding the tumulus add to the singularity of the site, reflecting complex funeral and symbolic practices.

The Dolmen du Champ-du-Ruisseau is part of a network of megaliths of angevins and Armorics, sharing architectural features such as room/antechamber separation or the use of stone thresholds. His late discovery (1949) and his rapid ranking (1961) underline his importance for understanding local neolithic societies. The studies published, notably in the Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française (1972), make it a reference site for megalithic archaeology in western France.

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