Construction of dolmens vers 3350-3300 av. J.-C. (≈ 3325 av. J.-C.)
Radiocarbon dating of central dolmen.
1949
Pillage of central dolmen
Pillage of central dolmen 1949 (≈ 1949)
Illegal search by a colony.
1973
Rescue search
Rescue search 1973 (≈ 1973)
Partial destruction for the national stud.
24 juin 1976
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 24 juin 1976 (≈ 1976)
Legal protection of the remaining site.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Megalithic ensemble (Case AE 57): inscription by order of 24 June 1976
Key figures
Jean L'Helgouac'h - Archaeologist
Directed the search in 1973.
Origin and history
The megalithic assembly of the Lion-d Only the central dolmen, with a 4.20 m long cover table resting on five supports, is still partially visible. Its architecture, close to the transepted Armenian tombs (like Kerleven's cairn), suggests an influence of Breton megalithism towards the east. The other two monuments, now almost entirely destroyed, had similar structures, with cairns and rectangular sepulchral chambers.
The 1973 rescue search conducted by Jean L-Helgouac-h, triggered by the partial destruction of the site to build houses of the national stud, revealed a rich funerary furniture: hunting ceramics (cubic-base cups), arrow frames (type "Sublaine"), and Sericite beads. These artifacts date from the Middle Neolithic site (circa 3350-3300 B.C.) for the central dolmen, with a prolonged occupation until the final Neolithic (IIIth millennium B.C.). An earlier mesolithic occupation, attested by flint tools near the southern dolmen, precedes the construction of the monuments.
The site was listed as historic monuments in 1976, after excavations, to preserve the remaining remains. The central dolmen had already been looted in 1949 by children of a holiday colony, illustrating the threats to this heritage. Today, the ensemble belongs to the department of Maine-et-Loire and bears witness to funeral practices and cultural exchanges between Armorique and Anjou during prehistory.
Architectural comparisons with sites such as the Musseau tumulus (Pornic) or Tuchenn Pol (Ploemeur) highlight the originality of this "hybrid" megalithism, mixing local traditions and Atlantic influences. The presence of dry stone walls and cairns in siding suggests a careful construction, perhaps collective, reflecting the symbolic importance of these burials for neolithic communities.
Radiocarbon analyses of wood charcoal confirmed a main use between 3350 and 3300 B.C., coinciding with the peak of agro-pastoral societies in western France. Lithic furniture, including a pressignian knife, indicates links to the flint exchange networks of Grand-Pressigny, located more than 200 km away.
Despite the destruction, the site remains a key marker of the progress of megalithism towards the interior, far from traditional coastal areas. Its late inscription (1976) recalls the challenges of preserving prehistoric remains in the face of modern urbanization, as evidenced by the loss of two of the three original dolmens.
