Megalithic sites in Pyrénées-Orientales

The megalithic sites of the Pyrénées-Orientales are a group of 148 dolmens and 4 menhirs located in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.

Natural surroundings
The Pyrénées-Orientales department is located in the extreme south of France, eastern section of the Pyrenees mountain range and the Plaine du Roussillon. The mountainous region of the county consists of the Albera massif to the southeast, the Corbières massif to the north, and the historic regions of Vallespir, Conflent, Cerdagne, and Capcir, which make up almost 50% of the department's total area.

The Roussillon plain lacks any megaliths. These stone structures are generally situated at elevated positions, such as on ridges, passes or flat areas and frequently function as borders between communes that were once villages. Dolmens have served as boundary markers since at least the early Middle Ages.

The rock materials used to construct these monuments, including gneiss, granite, and limestone, are readily available at dolmen sites. Apart from the limestone Corbières massif, the soils in this area tend to be acidic.

Characteristics
Unlike the dolmens in the neighboring Aude department or Spain's Alt Empordà, those found in the Pyrénées-Orientales are diminutive in size. The largest one is the Balma de Na Cristiana.

For the most part, they feature a basic rectangular layout, with a chevet slab bearing two side slabs, all of which are covered by a single slab. The fourth side is left open to act as the entrance to the dolmen, which could have a wooden or stone opening mechanism. Few dolmens are larger and have a corridor due to the extension of side slabs, giving them an elongated shape.

However, these original designs underwent modifications over the years. Not a single dolmen has been discovered intact, all have been looted, emptied, and reused, sometimes as early as prehistoric or ancient times. Slabs have frequently been relocated or destroyed.

Many dolmens bear cupules that are often connected by engraved gutters. Sometimes, they are associated with cross-shaped engravings. Unadorned dolmens may be accompanied by nearby engraved rocks.

Most organic remains have been destroyed by the acidity of the soil.

List
In his 2011 publication, Jean Abélanet outlines 147 dolmens in the Pyrénées-Orientales, along with 5 menhirs, including those mentioned in ancient sources but not yet discovered. The Dolmen de Castelló discovered in 2011 is not included. Carreras and Tarrús completed their list in 2012, documenting 125 megalithic sites, 114 burials, and 10 menhirs, in addition to one necropolis. They identify 19 sites as potentially false or doubtful. The Castelló dolmen is also omitted from their count. In 2017, Carreras and Tarrus published an article that lists megaliths discovered between 1999 and 2015 in the county and neighboring Alt Empordà. Three megaliths were found in the Pyrenees-Orientales.

The authors unanimously agree that the Statue-menhir de Caramat is not a statue-menhir.

Dolmens in the Pyrenees-Orientales are typically situated in hilly or mountainous areas of the department, usually on a col, ridge, or high ground. In Jean Abélanet's book, coordinates in Lambert III format were provided, but this format has proven problematic as a majority of the coordinates are incorrect.

The following list consists of six columns:


 * 1) the name of the monument, with any variants and the sources of the assertions (Abélanet 2011 and Carreras and Tarrús 2013 in general);
 * 2) type of monument (dolmen, menhir...);
 * 3) an "Authors" column giving the names of the first authors to have published the monument. When Jean Abélanet or Carreras et Tarrús dispute the status of a megalithic monument, this is indicated by a No;
 * 4) the commune in which the monument is located;
 * 5) the GPS coordinates given by Carreras and Tarrús
 * 6) if available, an illustration.

Potential sites
Jean Abélanet has discovered multiple megalithic sites using toponymy, specifically the names of localities within the Napoleonic cadastre. Abélanet offers a list of potential sites containing megaliths, determined through name association.


 * La Peyra Clausa in Bélesta;
 * La Serra de la Martina, Saint-Arnac;
 * Roc de la Martina locality in Fenouillet.

Synthesis sources

 * (fr) Jean Abélanet, Itinéraires mégalithiques dolmens et rites funéraires en Roussillon et Pyrénées nord-catalanes, Canet, Trabucaire, 2011, 350 p. ( ISBN 9782849741245 )
 * (ca) Enric Carreras Vigorós et Josep Tarrús Galter, "181 anys de recerca megalítica a la Catalunya Nord (1832-2012)", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Gironins, no 54, 2013, p. 31-184 (read online archive)
 * (ca) Enric Carreras et Josep Tarrús, "Nous monuments megalítics a l'Alt Empordà i el Rosselló entre 1999-2015", Revista Cypsela, Gérone, no 20, (2014-2015), 2017, p. 25-61 (read online archive)

Other sources

 * (fr) Les civilisations néolithiques du Midi de la France" Actes du colloque de Narbonne (15-17 février 1970), Carcassonne, coll. "Atacina"
 * In these proceedings, J. Abélanet publishes two articles "Une tombe néolithique l'Arca de Calahons" (p. 54-55) and "Les dolmens du Roussillon" (p. 74-79).
 * (fr) André Vigo, "La toponymie de la vallée de l'Agly et des Fenouillèdes", C.E.R.C.A., vol. 12, 1961, p. 104-105.
 * (fr) Pierre Ponsich, "Dolmens et roches gravés du Roussillon", Revista de Studi Liguri, Bordighera, vol. anno XV, nos 1–2, 1949, p. 53-61
 * (fr) Bulletin archéologique publié par le Comité historique des arts et monumens, vol. 4, Paris, Comité historique des arts et monuments, 1847-1848 (ISSN 1256-3803, read online archive), p. 227
 * Letter from François Jaubert de Passa read to the committee by Prosper Mérimée.
 * (fr) M. Pallary, "Les dolmens du Puig-Noulos. Pyréneés-Orientales", Bulletin de la Société d'anthropologie de Lyon, t. VI, 1887, p. 95-100
 * Also published in Matériaux pour l'Histoire Primitive et Naturelle de l'Homme, p. 439-443.
 * (fr) Pierre Vidal, "Le Roussillon Préhistorique", Ruscino, nos 15–18, 1921
 * Reissued in a single volume in 1922.
 * (es) J. Abélanet, M. Cura et J. Padró, "Sepulcros megalíticos de la Cerdanya y el Capcir", in Corpus de Sepulcros Megalíticos-8 (España), Barcelona, 1975.
 * (fr) Jean-Baptiste Renard de Saint-Malo, "Études archéologiques sur Mirmande (village disparu près de Terrats)", Publicateur des Pyrénées Orientales, no 14, 1833
 * (fr) Eugène Devaux, "Dolmens à gravures en Roussillon", Bulletin de la Société agricole, scientifique et littéraire des Pyrénées-Orientales, vol. 58, 1934, p. 225-239