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Origin and history

La Motte de la Jacquille is a tumulus dated Neolithic, located in the commune of Fontenille, in the Charente department. This megalithic funerary monument, built between the fifth and fourth millennia BC, was reused in the final Neolithic, as evidenced by the artenacian ceramics discovered on site. It is distinguished by its circular structure of 31 meters in diameter and 2.8 meters in height, as well as by a rectangular funeral chamber bounded by eleven orthostats, some of which come from an earlier monument dismantled.

The site was first mentioned by Abbé Michon in 1848, then studied by several researchers, including Auguste-François Lièvre in 1881 and Claude Burnez in 1976. He underwent clandestine excavations on several occasions (1914, 1923, 1960, 1978-1979) before official archaeological campaigns in 1982-1983, led by E. Gauron, and in 2014 by Vincent Ard. The monument was listed as a historical monument in 1991, and in 2015 it was fully classified for its exceptional architectural and archaeological interest.

The architecture of La Motte de la Jacquille is unique in Europe, thanks to its mobile stone door, the oldest known in France. This door, consisting of a slab of 1.10 m high equipped with truncated gonds, rotated in a toad dug in the sill slab. The funerary chamber, accessible by an 11-metre-long secluded corridor, contained the remains of at least 24 individuals (16 adults and 8 children), accompanied by funeral objects: ceramics, flint tools, trimming elements and bone tools.

The excavations revealed two types of ceramics: one thick and reddish brown, typical of the Middle Neolithic region, and the other fine and black with incised decorations, attributed to the Final Neolithic (artenacian period). Lithic artifacts include sharp arrow frames, scrapers and bone punches. The site, exploited as a quarry and damaged by looters, nevertheless retains a major scientific value to understand funeral practices and prehistoric evolution in Charente.

Located at 112 meters above sea level, the tumulus dominates the surrounding landscape, offering views of other megalithic monuments such as the Tusson and Folatière tumuli. Its classification as a historical monument underlines its landscape, architectural and archaeological importance, giving a key testimony of Neolithic in the West Central of France. The original stone door is now preserved at the Angoulême Museum, while a copy is visible on the site.

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