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Origin and history

The Dolmen de la Roche-Vernaize, located in the commune of Trois-Moutiers in the department of Vienna, is a megalithic vestige dated from the Neolithic. Ranked a historic monument in 1957, it now presents itself in a ruined form, with ten orthostates and a cover table broken into three pieces. According to Brother René's observations, the funeral chamber was 7.50 meters long by 4 meters wide, and could have included an antechamber. The excavations carried out in 1900 by Brother René and M. de la Villebiot revealed human bones arranged in an organized manner, as well as sandstone tools, cut flints and pottery coats.

The records of the 1900 excavations describe a detrital layer covering a paved floor of red sandstone, on which bones were laid arranged in squares, sometimes mixing the remains of adults and children. The discovered archaeological furniture includes lithic tools, decorated pottery teasses, and retouched flint. One local legend evokes a giant snake keeping the site, while another attributes its creation to cakes of butter thrown by the devil, explaining the presence of several dolmens around.

The dolmen, probably of the angelvin type, has notable architectural features, like two orthostats interpreted as the remains of a portico. The excavations also revealed a limestone paving covering the funeral deposits, suggesting a complex and carefully arranged structure. Despite the contradictions between the reports of excavations, these discoveries provide an overview of the funeral and ritual practices of Neolithic in the region.

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