Dolmen de la Folatière, Poitou Charentes Travel Guide

The Dolmen de la Folatière, a classified historical monument since 1957, is located in the commune of Luxé, in the Charente department of France. This ancient dolmen, or megalithic tomb, provides a tangible link to the Neolithic period and the people who inhabited this region millennia ago.Originally, the dolmen consisted of a large capstone resting on supporting stones, forming a chamber used for burials. Unfortunately, the covering table is now missing. According to Lièvre, the capstone measured 3.60 m long, 1.60 m wide and 0.90 m thick and covered twelve orthostates. These stones were carefully leveled and flattened by picketing. The architecture of the monument is imprecise although it is generally classified as an Angoumoisin type dolmen.Excavations at the site, notably by Étienne Patte in 1958 and again in 2012, have revealed fragmented human remains, suggesting multiple interments. The broken bones lacked anatomical connection, but two male cranial boxes were reconstructed. The teeth found suggest that between four and eleven children could have been buried there. Additionally, archaeologists have unearthed various artifacts, including a lozenge-shaped arrowhead attributed to the Late Neolithic period, a type rare in the region, six transverse arrowheads, a beautiful scraper, and two small flakes of a polished white flint ax. Two fragmented base cups were also discovered. One is decorated with a checkerboard pattern, the other with triangles. Patte attributes these to the Chasséen culture, while Joussaume believes the base cups and transverse arrowheads are characteristic of the Middle Neolithic. Numerous round beads, mainly limestone, one callais and small bone tools (chisels) were also found.The Folatière dolmen and tumulus, about one hundred meters southwest, were both built on a small hill overlooking a loop of the Charente.