Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace
Chalcolithic (3000-2300 BCE)·Chalcolithic·🇫🇷 Provence, Vaucluse, France
About
About Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace
Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace in Provence, Vaucluse, France is a Chalcolithic (3000-2300 BCE) rock_cut attributed to Chalcolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal citadel 9 × 6 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 44.0118N 5.1943E controls access to Provence, Vaucluse resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock_cut for Provence, Vaucluse, illustrating Chalcolithic 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. 2700 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic (3000-2300 BCE)
- Culture
- Chalcolithic
- Purpose
- Rock-cut tomb / hypogeum with funerary function
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2700 BCE
Initial construction of Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace main structure
c. 898 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace
2002–2013
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
44.0118° N · 5.1943° E · 379 m · 4 mapped features
Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — Main Rock_Cut Feature
chamberPrimary chamber at Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
44.0113° N · 5.1955° EHypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
cairnAncillary cairn at Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
44.0127° N · 5.1926° EHypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
plazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
44.0124° N · 5.1947° EHypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
reservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Hypogee des Crottes de Rouaix II — Western Terrace with plastered basin
44.0133° N · 5.1958° E