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Origin and history

The Dolmen de la Coma Enestapera, also known as the Dolmen de la Coma Estapera, is a megalithic monument located in Cerbère, in the Eastern Pyrenees. This small dolmen, dated Neolithic, has been reused and built into shelter over the centuries, which has altered its original architecture. Its Catalan name, Coma Estapera, means "the comb where this stone is located", stressing its link with the local landscape. It is surrounded by other dolmens and menhirs, forming a significant megalithic ensemble in the region.

The first written mention of the dolmen dates back to 1882 by Ludovic Martinet, who described it without having visited. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, it fell into oblivion before being rediscovered in 1950 by Pierre Ponsich, who mapped it and searched it in 1963 with Abelanet. These excavations reveal fragments of ceramics, charcoals and an unknown metal tool, but the funeral chamber had already been raped long before. Its architecture remains uncertain: some archaeologists see it as a corridor dolmen, while others suggest an accidental polygonal chamber.

The dolmen consists of a slate shale covering slab, inclined northward, and partially collapsed supports. Its tumulus, flat and masked by vegetation, could measure about 6 meters in diameter. Reuse as a shelter resulted in the accumulation of stones between the supports, obstructing the gaps. Despite its degraded state, it offers a rare testimony of neolithic funeral practices in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in an environment marked by rugged terrain and a high concentration of megaliths.

The site is located near Puig Joan, near Coll del Pinyer, in an area rich in prehistoric remains. Its ranking in 1889 made it one of the first protected megalithic monuments in France. Studies conducted in 1987 by the GEEART allowed to clarify its archaeological context, although its original architecture remains subject to debate. Today, it illustrates both the ingenuity of Neolithic builders and the transformations of these monuments over the millennia.

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