Dolmen de Doux
MonumentHidden Treasure
Dolmen de Doux, located in Pussigny (Indre-et-Loire), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Pussigny, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 46.9789, 0.5215
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00097930
A Neolithic vestige on the edge of Touraine, the Doux dolmen at Pussigny stands with its imposing sandstone slabs in a setting of Loire bocage - a listed monument since 1945, the silent guardian of five millennia of history.
© Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia
History
On the southern fringes of the Indre-et-Loire department, in the peaceful Pussigny area, the Doux dolmen stands out as one of the most striking testimonies to human presence in the Vienne valley during the Neolithic period. These large upright stone slabs, assembled without mortar or metal, are in themselves an architectural feat and an anthropological mystery that defies the centuries. Classified as a Historic Monument by decree in October 1945, it is now officially recognised as an important part of the archaeological heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire region. What makes the Doux dolmen truly unique is its location in the heart of a sparsely urbanised area, where the gentle geography of the Touraine bocage - wet meadows, hedgerows, low autumnal evening light - forms a natural setting conducive to meditation and contemplation. The monument belongs to the family of corridor dolmens, an architectural type that is widespread throughout the Loire region, but each one has its own specific characteristics linked to the nature of the local materials and the burial practices of the community that built it. A visit is a must for anyone interested in the deep origins of humanity in France. Standing in front of the orthostats - vertical slabs of Cenomanian sandstone or Turonian limestone - and looking up at the roofing table that is still in place is a rare experience: direct contact with anonymous builders whose social and technical sophistication still amazes contemporary archaeologists. The peace and quiet of the site, often deserted outside summer weekends, reinforces this impression of an intimate encounter with the past. The environmental setting of the Doux dolmen is part of a region rich in megaliths: Indre-et-Loire and its neighbouring departments (Vienne, Deux-Sèvres, Maine-et-Loire) form one of the densest megalithic complexes in France, the legacy of a particularly intense Neolithic effervescence between 4500 and 2500 BC. Pussigny, a modest farming community, is the repository of a precious fragment of this collective memory.
Architecture
The Doux dolmen belongs to the large family of megalithic burials with a single chamber or corridor, typical of the Neolithic period in the Loire. Its structure is based on the founding principle of dolmenic architecture: orthostats - vertical slabs planted in the ground - support one or more horizontal covering tables, forming a burial chamber to which access may have been provided by an entrance corridor, now partially collapsed or dismantled. The constituent blocks are made of local limestone or sandstone, materials that are abundant in the geology of the Vienne valley, with rough surfaces that have barely been roughed up, testifying to minimal cutting work but an innate sense of structural balance. The dimensions of the monument, typical of medium-sized dolmens in Touraine, allow for a burial chamber of around 3 to 5 metres in length and 1.5 to 2 metres in width, enough to accommodate several successive bone deposits. The covering slab, which can be 40 to 60 centimetres thick, is the most impressive architectural element, weighing several tonnes and requiring sophisticated collective work. Originally, the entire structure was covered by a mound of earth and dry stones known as a cairn, which gradually disappeared under the effect of erosion and farming practices, leaving the bare slabs in the landscape - a familiar sight today, but one that did not correspond to the original appearance of the monument. The orientation of the chamber, probably towards the east or south-east according to regional Neolithic ritual practices, bears witness to a cosmological intention that archaeologists are continuing to study. No engraved decorations have been found on the walls, unlike the Breton dolmens decorated with idols or axes, which is in keeping with the megalithic traditions of the Centre-West, where there is generally no megalithic parietal art.
Related Figures
Bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes de la culture Artenacienne ou Seine-Oise-Marne (3000-2200 av. J.-C.)Membres de la Société Archéologique de Touraine (XIXe siècle), premiers inventoriants scientifiquesAuguste Meyrac, érudit tourangeau ayant contribué à la recension des mégalithes d'Indre-et-LoireAndré Malraux, ministre des Affaires culturelles ayant amplifié la politique de classement héritée de 1945Inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques signataires de l'arrêté de classement du 29 octobre 1945
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dolmen de Doux located?
Dolmen de Doux is located in Pussigny, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
Is Dolmen de Doux open to visitors?
Dolmen de Doux is currently closed to visitors.