Deux tumuli
MonumentHidden Treasure
Deux tumuli, located in Soings-en-Sologne (Loir-et-Cher), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Soings-en-Sologne, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.4019, 1.5313
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098606
On the edge of the mysterious Sologne region, two prehistoric burial mounds, listed as Historic Monuments, stand guard over an area shaped over four millennia ago - the silent tombs of a Bronze Age aristocracy.
© Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia
History
In the heart of the Sologne region, a land of moors, ponds and deep forests that Victor Hugo described as a "melancholy land", two mounds of earth stand discreetly in Soings-en-Sologne. Listed as Historic Monuments since 1934, these tumuli are among the oldest and most moving evidence of human presence in the Loir-et-Cher region. Nestling in a landscape that has hardly changed for centuries, they call for silent contemplation of the enigma of those who built them. What makes these two mounds so special is first and foremost their pairing: rare are the sites that feature two tumuli so close together, perhaps suggesting a dynastic necropolis or a double tribute paid to two eminent figures from the same community. In Sologne, the sandy, acidic soils are poor at preserving bones and funerary objects, giving these mounds an irreducible shadowy quality - and a fascination all the greater for it. The visitor experience is that of a landscape archaeology, almost meditative. You don't enter these mounds like you would a castle: you observe them, you walk around them, you feel the subterranean mass of history beneath your feet. The vegetation that covers them - wild grasses, broom and perhaps a few pedunculate oaks - makes them such an integral part of the Sologne landscape that an uninformed walker might mistake them for a simple natural feature. The setting of Soings-en-Sologne adds an extra dimension to the visit. This market town in the Loir-et-Cher department, between Romorantin-Lanthenay and Saint-Aignan, is surrounded by ponds and woods that are characteristic of the Grande Sologne region. The tumuli are part of this unspoilt natural setting, far from mass tourism, for lovers of authentic heritage and walks off the beaten track.
Architecture
The two tumuli at Soings-en-Sologne belong to the family of earth-architecture burial mounds, the most widespread form in Bronze Age France. Each burial mound is roughly hemispherical in shape, made up of successive layers of earth, sand and, depending on local practice, turf or blocks of ferruginous sandstone typical of the Sologne geology. Their dimensions, probably between 15 and 40 metres in diameter at the base and between 2 and 5 metres high, are consistent with the tumuli of the same period found in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Inside these masses of earth, one or more burial chambers originally housed the deceased, who were buried - or cremated, depending on the practice at the time - along with their belongings, including ceramics, bronze ornaments, weapons and tools. These chambers, when they existed, were generally delimited by raised stones forming a chest or a single chamber. Access is no longer possible today, as the burial mounds are protected and have not been excavated recently. Natural erosion and human intervention over the centuries have partially flattened the mounds, but their silhouette is still clearly visible in the Sologne landscape. The choice of location - on a gentle slope or alongside a prehistoric traffic route - is typical of these monuments, which were designed to be visible and symbolically mark the territory of a human group.
Related Figures
Défunts de l'âge du Bronze — probables chefs ou guerriers d'élite inhumés sous les tumuliBâtisseurs anonymes de la communauté préhistorique solognote — main-d'œuvre collective ayant érigé les tertresÉrudits de la Société Archéologique du Vendômois (XIXe s.) — premiers investigateurs des antiquités préhistoriques du Loir-et-CherInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1934) — responsables du classement protecteur des deux tumuli
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deux tumuli located?
Deux tumuli is located in Soings-en-Sologne, Loir-et-Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
Is Deux tumuli open to visitors?
Deux tumuli is currently closed to visitors.