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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The dolmen called Table des Morts, sometimes called Table des Maures, is a megalithic monument located in Massac, in the department of Aude. Dated from Neolithic, it was discovered and searched in 1896 by Mr Barnier, mine engineer of Padern and adviser general of Aude. At the time, it was considered the most beautiful dolmen in the department, which led to its classification as a historical monument by decree of 12 June 1925.

The dolmen is 562 metres above sea level, on the edge of a hill with an extended easterly view. Although sometimes described as a "small covered alley", it is actually a rectangular dolmen (3.30 m by 1.12 m), whose sides converge towards the entrance. Its cover table, measuring 2.40 m by 2.62 m, was broken by lightning in the 1940s. Originally, it was based on six orthostats and a bedside slab, now collapsed inside the room. The circular tumulus, 8 metres in diameter, consists of local limestone.

Barnier's excavations revealed human bones, 85 teeth, a bronze ring, shell pendants and a terracotta fusaïole. A second campaign, led by Jean Guilaine, discovered a ceramic tison of the Campaniforme and fragments of ceramic Graufresenque type, attesting to a reuse or violation of the site in the Roman era (I century). These elements underline the funerary and cultural importance of dolmen throughout the ages.

The dolmen is now classified as a historical monument and belongs to the municipality of Massac. Despite its deterioration, there remains a remarkable testimony of the funeral and architectural practices of Neolithic in the region. Its present state and the artifacts discovered offer valuable clues to the communities that built and used it.

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