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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The necropolis of the Cous, located in Bazoges-en-Pareds in the Vendée (Pays de la Loire), is a megalithic site dating from Neolithic times. It consists of two main dolmens: the Pierres-Folles and the Ciste des Cous, as well as the remains of other missing structures, such as a third dolmen and a reversed menhir. The site, located at an altitude of 75 m on a limestone plateau, was partially destroyed in the 19th century and searched several times, notably in 1913 and 1978.

The excavations carried out by Marcel Baudouin and Lucien Rousseau in 1913 revealed human bones and archaeological objects, including ceramics, lithic tools and ornaments. Carbon dating 14 places the site around 4 650 years BP. The dolmen des Pierres-Folles, of the Angelvin type, and the Ciste des Cous, initially considered a cist but in reality a dolmen with corridor, bear witness to complex funeral practices, with collective burials and subsequent reuses.

The site was classified as a historic monument in 1959 and restored in 1978 and 1991. Archaeological discoveries, such as arrow frames, limestone beads and ceramic fragments, indicate continued occupation of the site until the Bronze Age and beyond. The necropolis is a remarkable example of the megalithic architecture of the region, with dry stone structures and cobbled sepulchral rooms.

Exhumed bones, belonging to more than a hundred individuals, suggest a prolonged use of the site as a collective burial site. The presence of post-Neolithic pottery stubs and metal objects attests to the site long after its initial construction. The excavations also revealed traces of fire purification and complex architectural developments, such as trimming walls and corbellations.

The site is now protected and managed by the Société préhistorique française, which acquired the property after the initial excavations. The studies conducted by Roger Joussaume in the 1970s and 1990s provided a better understanding of the architectural and funerary evolution of the site, while confirming its importance in the Vendean megalithic landscape.

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