<< Our Photo Pages >> La Petite Pérotte - Burial Chamber or Dolmen in France in Poitou:Charente (16)

Submitted by TheCaptain on Saturday, 16 April 2005  Page Views: 5214

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: La Petite Pérotte
Country: France Département: Poitou:Charente (16) Type: Burial Chamber or Dolmen
Nearest Town: Angoulême  Nearest Village: Fontenille
Latitude: 45.912700N  Longitude: 0.142900E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
4 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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johnstone visited on 21st Jun 2014 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5

TheCaptain visited on 16th May 2005 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 There are several dolmens marked along a ridgetop to the west of the village of Fontenille, so I went for a look. The whole area abounds with tumulus and mounds perched on the hilltops. The map may have only 4 or 5 marked, but there are many more here. As I was parking to go walking along the ridgetop track signposted "Dolmens", A white van parked nearby, and out got a little old man, wondering if I was looking for the dolmens. When I said yes, and he realised I was keen, he went back to his van and got a folder out containing lots of pictures. He told me he was an archaeologist, and collected flints etc. He has thousands, all photographed and catalogued. Flint tools, axes, arrowheads, polished stone tools, some polissoir stones, some copper arrowheads, some pottery, a female goddess icon, through Roman coins and other remains, reight up to a royal seal from the time of Napoleon, all found round here. He was obviously very proud of his collection, and was interested that I was here and perhaps writing a book for the English. It was a pity I couldnt make myself fully understood to him, or him to me, but he was an excellent find ! We agreed that there were many many tomb remains round here, everywhere you looked you could see something, must be well into double figures without even trying. Remains of a nice dolmen splendidly positioned on top of a ridge, with many other dolmens and tumuli in the vicinity, a couple of kilometres to the southwest of the village of Fontenille in Charente. Walking southwest from the D.61 along the ridgetop trackway signposted "Dolmens", and after about 800 metres you get to the remains of La Petite Pérotte dolmen. A massive capstone, 4 metres long by 2.5m wide and 1.5 metres thick is sitting on top of several smaller support stones, which have been very well shaped into blocks to make a very regularly formed square chamber below. Just to the southeast is another smaller capstone, under which is what seems to be another little chamber. Perhaps this was once part of the entranceway to the chamber proper. It's all still on top of a small mound which has several large stones surrounding it.



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 4 Access: 4.5

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by thecaptain : La Petite Pérotte. A massive capstone, 4 metres long by 2.5m wide and 1.5 metres thick is sitting on top of several smaller support stones. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Remains of a nice dolmen splendidly positioned on top of a ridge, with many other dolmens and tumuli in the vicinity, a couple of kilometres to the southwest of the village of Fontenille in Charente.

Walking southwest from the D.61 along the ridgetop trackway signposted "Dolmens", and after about 800 metres you get to the remains of La Petite Pérotte dolmen.

A massive capstone, 4 metres long by 2.5m wide and 1.5 metres thick is sitting on top of several smaller support stones, which have been very well shaped into blocks to make a very regularly formed square chamber below.

Just to the southeast is another smaller capstone, under which is what seems to be another little chamber. Perhaps this was once part of the entranceway to the chamber proper.

It's all still on top of a small mound which has several large stones surrounding it.

Base Mérimée (Historic Monument)
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La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by johnstone : Tiny supports, huge capstone, no proportion, June 21, 2014 (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by thecaptain : La Petite Pérotte is splendidly positioned on top of a ridge, still on top of a small mound which has several large stones surrounding it. (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by thecaptain : La Petite Pérotte. To the southeast is another smaller capstone, under which is what seems to be another little chamber. This was probably once part of the entrance passageway to the chamber proper. (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by TAUPIN : La PETITE PEROTTE , the actual monument with the artificial new slabstone (Vote or comment on this photo)

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by TAUPIN : La PETITE PEROTTE, Archaeologist during the public visit.

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by TAUPIN : La PETITE PEROTTE, Human bone in the second cella.

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by TAUPIN : La PETITE PEROTTE during digs

La Petite Pérotte
La Petite Pérotte submitted by TAUPIN : during digs

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
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"La Petite Pérotte" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Re: La Petite Pérotte by TAUPIN on Thursday, 22 August 2013
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La "PETITE PEROTTE" on the site of FONTENILLE (North Charente) was recently estimated in peril because the slabstones was cracked and the stability of the capstone (about 30 tons) was compromised.
Before consolidate the monument, a season of digs was led during august 2012.
After acomplete dig under the dolmen with dentistry tools and brushes with pictures all along the session, this study gave many results.
-In the cella definited by six slabstones about 2 m hight and well shaped, pièces of two missing pillars and funeral deposits was discovered.
-Remains of at least six bodies show this place was used between 4500 and 2000 BCE .
-An entranceway biased to East is also integrated in the tumulus about 10 m on diametre with two circular facings in dry stones masonry.
-The main capstone was puted on reinforced pillars and an artificial slabstone was created for secure the monument.
The place was let in this state since one year and digs had been taked again on this summer.
-Under a little capstone half-buried in the mound a second cella, on the left of the entranceway was discovered with humans remains droped on a limestone pavement.
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    Re: La Petite Pérotte by TheCaptain on Thursday, 22 August 2013
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    Many thanks for this news, and your pictures. It is good to know that this lovely megalithic site has been saved for the future, and also that we now know more about it.
    [ Reply to This ]

Re: La Petite Pérotte by Anonymous on Sunday, 01 June 2008
I cannot believe that you visited the dolmens and not the grand motte, dolmens are ten a penny the motte is much more unique!!
WFP
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