Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The alignments of the Bois du Fourgon, located in Avrillé in Vendée (Pays de la Loire), form a megalithic complex dated Neolithic. This site includes four menhir alignments (G1, G2, G2 bis, G3), a dolmen, a megalithic chest, quarries and several tumuli, including one surrounded by a ditch. The location in an enclaved wood, integrated into the estate of the Château de la Guignardière (XVI century), favored its conservation. Three menhirs of alignment G2 have been classified as Historical Monuments since 1889.

The excavations conducted by Gérard Benéteau and his team in the 1990s revealed new menhirs and alignments, as well as traces of neolithic activities. The G1 alignment, in the east, initially consisted of a 6 m tall menhir and associated blocks, two of which (#1 and 2) were identified as anthropomorphic menhirs after recovery. Menhir No. 2 is a carefully buffed, human form. A triangular block not recognized as menhir suggests an earlier construction destroyed during the construction of alignment.

The G2 alignment, 63 m southwest of G1, includes five menhirs, four of which are visible before excavation. Tent structures and tools (including a lard d-Henri IV) indicate partial dismantling, probably linked to the construction of the nearby castle. Four menhirs have anthropomorphic features, with various materials (local granit, imported sandstone at 2.5 km). The setting stones come from local sources (quartz, aplite). The C14 dates place the G2 alignment between 3356 and 2926 BC (Recent Neolithic), confirmed by decorated ceramics.

The G2 bis alignment, discovered in 2009-2010, has three small menhirs, including an anthropomorph. G3, west, consists of five blocks of granite (height: 0.60 m to 3 m) not searched. Archaeological furniture (silex, ceramics, fibrolith tools) attests to neolithic activities on the site. Wood charcoals dated from 4708 to 4498 BC (G2 bis) and typical Middle Atlantic Neolithic vases were found, highlighting the ritual and funeral importance of the site.

The site delivered lithic objects (gratters, arrow frames) in coastal or imported flint (Quartzite de Montbert), as well as smoothed or incised pottery coats. These discoveries, combined with calving pits and fireplaces, shed light on construction techniques and cultural practices in Neolithic communities. The partial dismantling of some menhirs, perhaps for the construction of the castle, illustrates the subsequent reuse of megalithic materials.

Ranked in 1889, the Bois du Fourgon site remains a major testimony of Atlantic megalithism, studied by archaeologists such as Gérard Benéteau. Its alignments, oriented north-south, and funeral structures (tumulus, dolmen) reflect a complex spatial and symbolic organization, linked to the beliefs and social organization of the Neolithic populations of the region.

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