Ensemble mégalithique
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ensemble mégalithique, located in Le Lion-d'Angers (Maine-et-Loire), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Le Lion-d'Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6186, -0.6952
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109149
In the heart of Maine-et-Loire, the megalithic site at Lion-d’Angers reveals striking Neolithic remains: dolmens and menhirs erected over 5,000 years ago, silent witnesses to a civilisation of builders whose rituals remain a mystery.
History
Just a few kilometres from Angers, in this region of Anjou where the gentle Mayenne valley rubs shoulders with ancient hedged farmland, Neolithic man has erected stones with a precision and intention that still defy our certainties. The megalithic complex at Le Lion-d'Angers is part of a constellation of funerary and cult monuments that are among the densest in western France, a region that, along with Brittany's Morbihan and the Saumur plain, is home to some of the most spectacular examples of rough stone architecture. What makes this site so special is above all its location in an unspoilt rural landscape, far from saturated tourist circuits. Here, the megaliths are not museologised: they emerge from the earth as they have done for thousands of years, surrounded by grassland and oak trees, in an atmosphere that encourages contemplation. The visible structures - sloping roof slabs, firmly planted orthostats, masses of local sandstone in shades of ochre and grey - immediately evoke the great megalithic traditions of the Anjou region, such as the covered walkways of the Bagneux area or the dolmens of the Craon region. The visit is best enjoyed on foot, taking the time to walk around each block, to observe the traces of extraction and rough cutting, and to gauge the colossal effort involved in moving these monoliths, which sometimes weigh several tonnes. Photography enthusiasts will find the low-angled morning and evening light ideal for capturing the relief and texture of the stones. Families, meanwhile, will discover an exceptional opportunity to learn about living prehistory. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1976, the site benefits from protection that guarantees the integrity of its archaeological subsoil. This official recognition underlines the heritage value of an ensemble which, despite its relative discretion, contributes to the exceptional megalithic inventory of the Pays de la Loire region.
Architecture
The megalithic complex at Le Lion-d'Angers is made up of structures typical of the Atlantic megalithic tradition of the Middle and Late Neolithic (around 4500 to 2500 BC). They probably include dolmens - burial chambers formed by vertical orthostats resting on a horizontal cover slab - as well as isolated or grouped menhirs, erected for commemorative or ritual purposes, the precise meaning of which remains debated. The materials used were exclusively local: Roussard sandstone, an iron-bearing sedimentary rock characteristic of the Anjou subsoil, and slate schist outcropping on the neighbouring hillsides. These blocks, extracted by percussion and by exploiting natural fractures, have rough surfaces with, in places, traces of rough regularisation using stone tools. Some slabs are several metres long and around fifty centimetres thick, representing masses of several tonnes moved by sledges, rollers and levers. The layout of the structures probably follows a logic of astronomical or topographical orientation, as is the case with most megalithic complexes in the region. The layout of the monuments in the landscape, their spacing and relative orientation are themselves an architectural 'text' that archaeologists are still trying to decipher, at the crossroads of celestial mechanics and Neolithic sacred geography.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes (Ve-IIIe millénaire av. J.-C.) — communautés agro-pastorales de la vallée de la MayenneArcisse de Caumont (1801-1873) — archéologue normand et fondateur de la Société française d'Archéologie, pionnier de l'inventaire des mégalithes de l'OuestRobert Triger (1844-1917) — érudit manceau et membre de la Société des Antiquaires de l'Ouest, auteur de relevés mégalithiques en Maine-et-LoireJean-Marc Picard — archéologue régional ayant contribué aux inventaires préhistoriques du département de Maine-et-Loire au XXe siècleLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit le dossier d'inscription de 1976
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ensemble mégalithique located?
Ensemble mégalithique is located in Le Lion-d'Angers, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
Is Ensemble mégalithique open to visitors?
Ensemble mégalithique is currently closed to visitors.