Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dolmen du Rat is a megalithic building located near the hamlet of Le Rat, on the commune of Saint-Sulpice in the Lot. This simple dolmen, dated from the recent Neolithic and Chalcolithic, has retained its tumulus of 13 meters in diameter, consisting of piled stones and a detritic cluster. A support wall, 0.85 to 0.90 metres high, leaves the northern orthostate and partially surrounds the cairn. The funerary chamber, rectangular and oriented east-west, is bounded by massive slabs embedded in the ground. Its floor was covered with an opus incertum pavement, supplemented by a slab of 1.95 meters long, and a threshold consisting of four stones. A triangular anion stele, rare but not unique, is planted against the left orthostate, set by small stones.

The grave, raped before archaeological excavations, delivered only a few remains: fragmented human bones (rotulas, phalanges, teeth) and animals (horse, sheep), as well as modest funeral furniture. This includes 36 ring beads (3 in jayet, 33 in calcite), one bead in barrel, and pottery cups, mostly medieval. Outside, about a hundred older coats, perhaps offerings, were found on the tumulus. The dolmen, registered as a historical monument in 2011, is distinguished by its exceptional state of conservation, including its closed room and its preserved cairn.

The architecture of the Rat Dolmen reveals sophisticated construction techniques for the time, such as pavage in scales moving from entrance to the bottom. Jean Clottes, in his studies, stressed the rarity of the aniconic stele, also present in other dolmens of the Lot (Roucadour à Thémines, Pech d'Arsou à Corn). This stele, of triangular shape (0.80 m x 0.13 m x 0.38 m), could have symbolic or ritual meaning. The site, searched and analyzed, provides valuable evidence of the funeral and architectural practices of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities in the region.

External links