Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II
Late Neolithic (3500-2600 BCE)·Late Neolithic·🇫🇷 Occitanie, Herault, France
About
About Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II
Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II in Occitanie, Herault, France is a Late Neolithic (3500-2600 BCE) megalithic attributed to Late Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal necropolis 11 × 6 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 43.7541N 3.4980E controls access to Occitanie, Herault resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey megalithic for Occitanie, Herault, illustrating Late Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (3500-2600 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction of Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II main structure
c. 842 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II
1996–2019
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
43.7541° N · 3.4980° E · 434 m · 4 mapped features
Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — Main Megalithic Feature
reservoirPrimary reservoir at Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — rock-cut facade with stratified deposits
43.7540° N · 3.4981° EDolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — Secondary Enclosure
moundAncillary mound at Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
43.7556° N · 3.4974° EDolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — Outlier Rock Art Panel
dromosOutlier dromos panel linked to Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II ceremonial landscape
43.7560° N · 3.4983° EDolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
structureHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Dolmen de Lamalou Grandmont II with plastered basin
43.7531° N · 3.4980° E