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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dolmen du Mont-Rivinco is part of the archaeological site of Monte Revincu, located in the Agriates desert, in the municipality of Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda in Corsica. This prehistoric site, discovered by Adrien de Mortillet in 1883, includes dolmens, megalithic vaults, stone circles, a menhir and remains of Neolithic habitat. The monuments, built in orthognesis and local granite, bear witness to an architectural unit marked by rectangular plans and erect slabs. The site, occupied until the 20th century by shepherds, was also used as a military range until 1999.

The main dolmen, called Casa di l'Orcu, was damaged in the 20th century by shell fire and underground excavations, which destroyed part of its structure and archaeological furniture. The official excavations, carried out from 1995 by the DRAC under the direction of Franck Leandri, revealed a funeral chamber covered with a single slab, a loose corridor and an ovoid tumulus. The furniture discovered, including flint blades, polished ceramic coats and pendants, dates from the fifth or fourth millennium BC. The site, classified as Historic Monument in 2018, is also linked to local legends, such as that of the Casa di l'Urcu, the "house of logre".

Habitat structures, organized in rectangular platforms, suggest a diversified domestic occupation. Ceramic and lithic remains, mostly in local quartz, indicate limited exchanges with other regions. Radiocarbon dating places site occupancy between 4340 and 4073 BC. Megalithic chests, such as those in Sectors A, B and C, delivered arrow frames and obsidian tools, confirming funeral and perhaps ritual use. The nearby menhir, erected on a compartmentalized platform, completes this exceptional archaeological landscape.

The oral tradition combines dolmen with folk tales, such as that of an ogre or ogress who have exchanged culinary knowledge with humans. These legends reflect the symbolic importance of the site to local communities. The excavations also highlighted stone circles and terraced structures, revealing a complex spatial organization. Despite the modern disruptions, the Monte Revincu remains a major testimony of neolithic life in Corsica, combining funeral architecture, habitat and cultural practices.

The site, now protected, illustrates the adaptation of prehistoric societies to a mountainous and arid environment. The materials used, extracted locally, and the reuse of structures by shepherds until the 20th century underline a continuous occupation over several millennia. The ongoing archaeological studies provide a better understanding of the networks of exchanges, construction techniques and beliefs of the neolithic populations of the Western Mediterranean.

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