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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Butte tumulus, located at Vierville in the Channel, is a megalithic monument consisting of two juxtaposed cairns, each housing a funeral chamber (A and B). Built on a plateau overlooking the Gulf of Carentan, it forms a 26 m and 18 m long "L" structure, supplemented by two east-west antennas without funeral function. Cairns, built at different times, use local materials: hard limestone for structures and pads based on a clay slope. This site illustrates the evolution of neolithic architectural practices in Normandy.

Chamber A, circular (3.20 m in diameter) and connected to the outside by a narrow corridor, reveals a complex internal organization: paved ground, Dallet partition, and central pits. It delivered 2,625 human bones (16 adults, 12 children) dated around 3500 BC, accompanied by rich furniture (bone tools/silex, trimmings, pottery, food remains). These remains suggest elaborate funeral rites, although their meaning remains enigmatic. The room was probably corbelled, with an estimated height of 4 m.

Chamber B, polygonal (2.50 m side), has two funerary layers separated by limestone platelets, and an individual burial underlying the inverted bones. Dated around 3360 B.C., it contained 34 to 38 individuals, including children, with more modest furniture (lames, arrow frames, shell collar). Merovingian disturbances and the construction of a road damaged part of the cairn. The three phases of use of the room reflect a prolonged occupation of the site.

The tumulus suffered degradation in 1826 (severely a ditch) and in 1974 (terranement work), revealing the burials. These discoveries led to a search and classification at the Historic Monuments on November 21, 1974. An additional campaign, led by A. Chancerel between 1984 and 1986, further studied the site. The carbon dating 14 and the analysis of furniture (hunting style, tools, trimmings) made it possible to clarify its role in neolithic funeral practices in Lower Normandy.

The architecture of the tumulus, combining circular and polygonal cairns, antennas and chambers with separate organization, bears witness to complex planning. The use of local materials (calcareous, clay) and the partial reuse of the site (merovingian burials) underline its lasting importance. The excavations revealed marked differences between rooms A and B, in terms of the richness of the furniture, the number of buried and the rites, providing a unique light on the neolithic societies of the region.

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