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Origin and history

The tumulus known as the Old Breuil is part of a set of four tumuli located in Tusson, in the Charente department (New Aquitaine). 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 old Breuil, 91.8 meters long and 4.30 meters high, dominates the landscape from the top of a plateau in the east of the village.

The tumulus of Old Breuil was included in the inventory of historical monuments on January 8, 1962, among the four Tusson tumuli protected between 1960 and 2012. The other tumuli of the ensemble bear the names of the Justice, Petit Dognon and Gros Dognon, the latter being the largest with 138 meters long. A fifth tumulus, the Magnou, located 600 metres southwest, is partially destroyed and of a smaller size.

Tusson's tumuli illustrate the importance of collective funeral practices in the Neolithic region of central-western France. Their alignment and their exceptional size suggest a complex social organization and a desire to mark the territory on a sustainable basis. No objects or human remains have been exhumed to date, preserving their archaeological mystery.

Historical sources mention these monuments in specialized works, such as those by Roger Joussaume (2016) and Jean-Sébastien Pourtaud (2021), which place them in the wider context of Charentais megalithism. Their protection for historic monuments underscores their heritage value, although their exact location remains approximate (map precision estimated at 5/10).

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