Construction of aisles Néolithique (≈ 4100 av. J.-C.)
Period of construction of the megalithic site.
1865
First excavations
First excavations 1865 (≈ 1865)
Led by Sautron, Rauzan and Abbé Brouillon.
1873
Partial destruction
Partial destruction 1873 (≈ 1873)
Alley #1 damaged before new discoveries.
1889
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 1889 (≈ 1889)
Official protection of funerary alley #1.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Dolmen (Box 1 48): ranking by list of 1889
Key figures
Abbé Brouillon - Archaeologist and searcher
Found axes and funerary objects in 1865.
Sautron et Rauzan - Participants in the 1865 excavations
Collaborators of the first archaeological explorations.
Origin and history
Lumé's funeral alleys, located in the commune of Fargues-sur-Ourbise in Lot-et-Garonne, form a megalithic ensemble dated from Neolithic. This site includes three funerary alleys, the first of which, nicknamed Gargantua Bed or Chamber of Fairies, is partially preserved. It was oriented west-east, initially 16 metres long and 0.90 metres wide, but today only a section of 5.50 metres remains, consisting of four orthostats on the left and two on the right side, surrounded by a cairn. The excavations carried out in 1865, notably by Abbé Brouillon, revealed funerary objects such as polished stone axes, perforated deer canines, and flint tools, now preserved at the Museum of Nerac.
The first funeral alley was partially destroyed in 1873, before being classified as historic monuments in 1889. The successive excavations collected a variety of archaeological furniture, testifying to its funerary and ritual use. Aisles 2 and 3, formerly close, are now missing or hidden under vegetation. Their existence is attested by ancient descriptions, but their precise location remains uncertain.
This site illustrates the megalithic practices of Neolithic in Aquitaine, where the covered alleys served as collective burials. The objects discovered, such as shell beads or deer wood pendants, reveal cultural exchanges and an advanced mastery of craftsmanship. The 1889 ranking underlines the heritage importance of this vestige, one of the few protected megalithic monuments in the Lot-et-Garonne department.
