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Origin and history

The three dolmens of Yeu Island, including the Dolmen de la Planche-à-Puare, date from Neolithic. This megalithic site is distinguished by its dolmen architecture with transepted corridors, comparable to those of Pornic. The corridor, facing south-east, serves three funeral chambers, one of which was originally covered with two slabs. The excavations revealed a sophisticated closure system, with orthostats reducing the entrance to 0.56 m, suggesting a desire to seal access.

The dolmen was first explored in 1883 by Augustin Auger, justice of the peace, and then in 1909 by Marcel Baudouin. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, he delivered carefully arranged human bones, bone objects, cut flints, and a small vase associated with campaniform culture. The discoveries also include traces of post-mortem work on bones, indicating elaborate funeral rituals. The furniture, now preserved at the Dobbreed Museum, bears witness to a dozen burials.

The excavations of Auger brought to light a partially visible cairn, now extinct, as well as a shell cluster 4 m from the entrance, composed of patelles, bigorneaux and mussels, mixed with animal bones and ceramic teasses. The slabs, in orthognesis despite the local presence of quartz, suggest a deliberate choice of materials. Baudouin also identified three cachalot teeth, reinforcing the hypothesis of exchanges or symbolic practices related to the sea.

The internal architecture reveals peculiarities, such as a variable ceiling height (1 m at the cross of the rooms) and a flat stone pavement in the master bedroom. The lower northwestern cell housed a skeleton in a lateral position, accompanied by a bone ring and animal bones. The lateral chambers contained superimposed bones, separated by slabs, illustrating a multi-generation reuse of the site.

The Dolmen de la Planche-à-Puare is part of a regional megalithic network, with architectural similarities such as the dolmen du Riholo. His study, documented by Auger and Baudouin, offers valuable insight into neolithic funeral practices in Vendée. The objects discovered, including netting stones and cereal prints on a vase, evoke a society organized around agriculture, fishing and complex rituals.

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