Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont
MonumentHidden Treasure
Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont, located in Rampieux (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Rampieux, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.7227, 0.8104
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00082779
La Peyrelevade de Rampieux is one of the best-preserved dolmens in Périgord Noir, having stood as a stone sentinel on the Perigord limestone plateaux since Neolithic times. It has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1889.
History
In the heart of Périgord, between the gentle valleys of the Dordogne and the limestone plateaux of the Bergerac region, the dolmen of La Peyrelevade - "the raised stone" in Occitan - stands out from the landscape with a presence that five millennia have not diminished. Standing on the wooded heights of the commune of Rampieux, this megalithic monument belongs to the large family of collective burials that Neolithic peoples built to shelter their dead and perhaps ward off the invisible. What makes La Peyrelevade so special is, first and foremost, its name: in Occitan country, any stone that is erected or raised carries with it an immense symbolic charge, combining the memory of anonymous builders with a mental geography that spans the ages. The dolmen also stands out for its dominant position, offering visitors a first-rate view of the landscape on the plateaux of the Purple Périgord, an area where human history has been written since the earliest prehistoric times. The visit is an invitation to slow down. You approach the monument along a country lane lined with downy oaks, and gradually discover its massive orthostats topped by a blanket table, as if suspended between heaven and earth. The site, which has been managed by the commune of Rampieux since 2007, is freely accessible and has retained its authentic character, far from being overly museified. Here, the emotion comes from the sobriety of the site itself. The surrounding natural setting plays a full part in the experience: the limestone lawns, hedgerows and silence of the causses create an atmosphere conducive to meditation and reflection on the depths of human settlement in Périgord. Photographers and archaeology enthusiasts will find this an exceptional subject, especially in the golden hours when the low-angled light reveals the full texture of the stones.
Architecture
The dolmen at La Peyrelevade belong to the classic type of single-chamber dolmen, characteristic of the megalithic tradition in south-west France. Its structure is based on several orthostats - vertical slabs of local limestone - which form the closed side walls of a burial chamber, topped by a large horizontal cover slab, the capstone table, which can weigh several tonnes. The materials used are exclusively limestone from the Périgord plateau, chosen for its relative ease of extraction in natural beds and its resistance to weathering. The ochre and grey hue of these stones, patinated by five millennia of exposure, gives the monument a harmony with the surrounding landscape. The rough-cutting of the blocks, with no fine polishing, is typical of Neolithic practices in the region. The whole structure is probably several metres long, with an internal height that allows bodies to be laid in a flexed position, in accordance with the collective burial rites of the time. Originally, the dolmen was probably covered by a mound of stones and earth - the cairn - of which only scattered remains today, leaving the bone structure exposed in all its mineral majesty.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, initiateur des premières listes de protection du patrimoine mégalithique françaisLes bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes du Périgord — communautés agro-pastorales actives entre 4500 et 2000 av. J.-C.Les érudits périgordins du XIXe siècle — antiquaires et archéologues amateurs qui documentèrent les premiers mégalithes de la régionLes agents du ministère de la Culture — gestionnaires du monument pendant plus d'un siècle avant le transfert à la commune en 2007
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont located?
Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont is located in Rampieux, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont open to visitors?
Dolmen dit La Peyrelevade près de Beaumont is currently closed to visitors.
