Menhirs et Dolmens du Causse de Sauveterre

A hike in the region Languedoc-Roussillon

A stroll on the limestone plateau of Sauveterre to the discovery of its prehistoric history with many panoramas on plateaus of Lozère. This circuit includes several dolmens and also other ancient vestiges, which at this place are numbered. These numbers are written on the map in the same order. The source of the description is from the Centre de Recherches et de Documentation Préhistorique de la Lozère.

Information

General points

• Geographic situation. District : Chanac (department Lozère)
                                     Road map with
• Starting point : Hamlet of Sec (take the road D32 in direction of La Canourgue, at 3,5 Km, turn to the left).
• The length of the stroll is estimated at 15 Km and the walk duration is about 3 h 30 mn.
• The stroll is marked out all along
• Stroll form : dual (one part as a loop, the other one linear)
• Stroll relief : hilly (alt. mini = 860 m ; alt. maxi = 930 m)
• Maintenance : frequent (brushwood clearing at least annual)
• Exposure : open (a sun protection might be foreseen)

Noteworthy places

N°4 - Dolmen de La Rouvière. The southern uright stone slab fell down under the weight of the paving stone of the roof. The tumulus, very residual seems ovalaire.

N°5 - Dolmen de La Cham, Bent dolmen with a wide chamber built west-east. The bent corridor is opened southwards. The roofing stone is broken in two parts. During reinforcement works, it was found the presence of a tidy pavement at the far end of the sepulchral chamber as well as the re-use of the hillock during the Iron Age.

N°6 Dolmen de l'Aire des Trois Seigneurs. It is one of the biggest megaliths of Lozère, it lost its roofing stone. Its northward bent corridor extends by a short structure lined with low drystone walls. During the preliminary excavation of the reinforcement works, it was found a Cella (also called Naos, i.e., a room of a temple in which resides the god, or, more precisely, the statue of the god) and a structure for the accesses practically empty of osteologic and furniture rests. On the other hand, the tumulus has given vestiges which could testify of ritual practices connected to the presence of the central grave and later re-uses.

N°7 - Menhir du Puits de Fraysse. Long block in local limestone, recently put upright. Nearby, stands up an incomplete menhir.

N°8 - Dolmen de "la plone". A beautiful tumulus of superficial gravel surmounts this dolmen with has kept a complete architecture. Rectangular chamber. The brocken and clived roofing stone displays a small hollow (cupule) just over the entrance.

N°2 - Dolmen de l'Aumède. The main chamber bears a stone table of at least 10 tons and extends by a lower grave of paving stones which is no more covered. The excavation made in the end of the XIXth century does not permit to know if both chambers were contemporary, but it has led to the discovery of objects dating from the end of the Bronze Age (circa 1000 B.C.) and others of the chalcolithic (2600 to 1800 B.C.) such as arrows with notched edges and drops.

N°3 - Tumulus de la Lavogne du Sec. It is constituted by a superficial frost wedging. It has a circular shape and it displays a buried structure made by raised stones. Tumuli are generally individual graves dating from the Iron Age.

Maps

Carto Exploreur 7 Sud, IGN 2639 O.