Construction of covered roadway Néolithique (≈ 4100 av. J.-C.)
Estimated construction period
1885
Archaeological excavations
Archaeological excavations 1885 (≈ 1885)
Discovery of bones and objects by Faugère-Dubourg
4 août 1969
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 4 août 1969 (≈ 1969)
Legal protection of the building
1990
Protection work
Protection work 1990 (≈ 1990)
Installation of a concrete slab
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Covered road (Case B 252): classification by order of 4 August 1969
Key figures
Faugère-Dubourg - Archaeologist
Searches from 1885 with Morlan-Descudé
Morlan-Descudé - Archaeologist
Co-responsible for the 1885 excavations
Marc Desvignes - Local researcher
Report of a ruined second driveway
Origin and history
The covered alley of Choisy, also known as the funeral path of Cabeil, is a megalithic monument located in the commune of Pompiey, in the Lot-et-Garonne (New Aquitaine). Ranked as a historical monument in 1969, this girondin-type aisle extends 17 metres long, with a variable width between 0.90 m and 1.30 m. It was initially covered with a tumulus now gone, and its ground was paved with large stones. Since 1990, a concrete slab has been cast inside for protection.
The excavations carried out in 1885 by Faugère-Dubourg and Morlan-Descude revealed human bones, a flint blade, a seashell and ceramic coats, including a fragment of a campaniform vase. These artifacts, once preserved in the castle of Nerac, are now considered lost. A second ruined funeral alley would have been identified nearby by Marc Desvignes, but without a thorough search.
Architecturally, the gangway is bounded by fifteen and thirteen orthostats (arrested stones) on each side of the central corridor, on a north-west/south-east axis. The bedside slab has disappeared, and the original tumulus has been completely undisturbed. This site illustrates the collective funeral practices of Neolithic, characteristic of agro-pastoral societies of the time in Aquitaine.
The monument is referenced in the Merimée base under the code PA00084206, with an approximate location near Choisy. Its state of conservation and access remain partially documented, although its legal protection makes it a key testimony of regional megalithism.
