Dolmen de Coutignargues

About

The Dolmen de Coutignargues, also known as the Cave de Coutignargues or dolmen de Saint-Contignarde, is a dolmen located in Fontvieille, in the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône.

History: The site was searched in 1876 by Cazalis de Fondouce, Huart and Nicolas, without result. The Brothers of the Christian Schools of Arles undertook further excavations in 1889-1990. The building was classified as historical monuments in 1894. In 1972, Gérard Sauzade conducted new research.

Description: Cazalis de Fondouce had classified the monument among the covered aisles, but it is a dolmen with elongated chamber and short corridor, the dolmen de Coutignargues by constituting the archetype: a long chamber of trapezoidal plan built in a pit, with a corridor of entrance on a gentle slope, and side walls of dry stones arranged in "stacks of plates". In particular, the dolmen was built in a pit of 8.90 m long by 3.70 m wide and 1.20 m deep. The bedroom is 7.60 m long by 1.20 m wide at bedside and 2.30 m near the entrance for a probable height of 1.90 m. It is preceded by a corridor with a slope of 3 m long...