Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The tumulus called Le Gros Dognon is part of a set of four tumuli located in Tusson, Charente department. These funeral monuments, dated Neolithic, are among the most imposing in Europe. They are aligned on a south-west/north-east axis, about 200 metres apart, and have never been searched. The Big Dognon, of trapezoidal shape, is 138 meters long, with a width ranging from 51 to 37 meters and a maximum height of 10 meters.

The tumulus of Gros Dognon was listed as a historic monument on June 21, 1960, among the four tumuli of Tusson. The other tumuli, the Petit Dognon, the Old Breuil and the tumulus of Justice, were also protected between 1960 and 2012. These oval structures, located on a plateau east of the village of Tusson, are distinguished by their exceptional size and geographical alignment.

A fifth tumulus, the Magnou tumulus, is reported about 600 metres southwest of the main complex. Unlike others, it is vented and of smaller dimensions (15 meters in diameter per 1 metre in height). These monuments bear witness to neolithic funeral practices, although their precise history and exact use remain partially unknown in the absence of archaeological excavations.

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