Prehistoric burial amid standing stones discovered in central France

Around 30 prehistoric monolith stones and one human skeleton - which could date back as far as 6,000 BC - have been found in central France, with the discovery hailed as the first of its kind in the region.

Burial in center of cairn [Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap]

The 150-metre-long area was discovered during routine preventative excavations ahead of the widening of the A75 motorway, near Veyre-Monton, between Clermont-Ferrand and Issoire, in Puy-de-Dôme (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).

The findings were confirmed as prehistoric by archaeological research body l'Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (INRAP).

Rounded stone blocks forming an arc in the foreground
[Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap]

In a press release, it said: “This is the first time that such structures, [standing stones known as] menhirs, have come to light in Auvergne, and more widely in the centre of France.”

INRAP has said that there appear to be few traces left among the stones to help with dating them precisely, but the institute is now planning a series of analyses.

The cairn is 14m long and 6.5 m wide and has four sides and was made of wedged stone slabs,
which may have come from fallen or destroyed menhirs
[Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap]

Early estimates suggest that the findings could date back to the Neolithic era (New Stone Age) or the Bronze Age - from anywhere between 6,000 to 1,000 BC.

The stones measure 1m by 1.60m, and are “spread out across 150 metres across the excavation, and likely beyond it”, researchers said. They are in a north-south formation, and are in the style of “large, megalithic, Armorican monuments”.

Aerial view of the cairn and aligned monoliths [Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap]

In the same way as those found in Carnac (Morbihan), the monuments have “an impressive layout”, with the largest stones at the top of the slope towards the north, and the smallest, closer together and more towards the south.

One stone is more “sculpted”, and is “largely anthropomorphic”, researchers added.

Limestone monolith still partially erect with fragments
[Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap]

The statement said: “This ‘statue’ is the only example [of its kind] known in the Auvergne. It has a rounded head, placed on rough shoulders, and shows two small breasts.”

The excavation also revealed a burial ground, with the remains of a tall man, which had been covered with a stone that was 14 metres long and 6.5 metres wide.

Statue-menhir during excavation [Credit: Nina Parisot, Inrap]

The statement continued: “In the same way as other monuments, such as Belz in the Morbihan, the menhirs of Veyre-Monton were taken down, to make them disappear from the countryside. They were pushed into large pits, sometimes damaged or covered in soil…[and] deliberately erased from the countryside.

“They were the object of iconoclastic acts; a sort of condemnation that may be linked to a change of community or of beliefs.”

Source: The Connexion [August 28, 2019]