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Origin and history

The necropolis of Peré (or Pairé) is a small neolithic necropolis located in Prisse-la-Charrière, Deux-Sèvres department. Composed of three tumulus (A, B and C), it was classified as a Historic Monument by order of 1 April 2025. The site, mentioned in 1841 under the erroneous name of Tesson's tumulus, is placed on a slight relief to enhance its visibility. The tumulus A and C bear traces of stone extraction, probably for the encroachment of local roads or the feeding of a lime oven on the south side of the tumulus C.

The tumulus A, elliptical and elongated (60 m long), is the most imposing of the three. Unlike others, it seems intact, without trace of quarrying. The circular, small tumulus B revealed no burial chamber during the 1987 surveys conducted by Dr. Claude Catthlin. Its origin could be linked to debris from an ancient excavation of the tumulus C. The latter, the longest (115 m before excavation), was partially damaged by stone samples but remains well preserved, protected by its wooded environment.

The tumulus C reveals a complex construction in three phases (Ia, Ib and II). The phase It corresponds to a funerary chest in orthostats, containing the remains of at least three individuals dated between 4460 and 4160 B.C., accompanied by a trapezoidal frame and a fibrolith hatchet. Phase Ib adds a mass of yellow earth girded with stones, bringing the length of the monument to 23 m. Phase II erected a long trapezoidal tumulus (100 m) with a megalithic chamber in the form of "q", where the bones of five individuals, including two children, dated between 4450 and 3980 BC were discovered.

The associated funerary objects (vase-support, fibrolith hatchet, pendant, green rock bracelet) attest to a collective burial of the Middle Neolithic, without subsequent reuse. The structure of the tumulus C, with its double trimmings and its internal cellular meshing, recalls that of other long European tumulus (Barnenez, Carnac, Colombiers-sur-Seulles). These monuments, perhaps inspired by the long neolithic houses, illustrate the architectural diversity of the collective burials of the period.

The site, registered in 1993 and classified in 2025, is located at the site known as Peré (or Pairé), on cadastral plot n°225 (section K). Its name could derive from the term stone, evoking either an ancient quarry or a consolidation of slope (perched). The calcareous lands favoured exceptional conservation of the bones, offering a rare testimony of the funeral and social practices of Neolithic in New Aquitaine.

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