Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex
Late Neolithic (3500-2500 BCE)·Late Neolithic·🇫🇷 Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone, France
About
About Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex
Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex in Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone, France is a Late Neolithic (3500-2500 BCE) megalithic attributed to Late Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal citadel 4 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 43.6617N 4.6192E controls access to Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone 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 Provence, Bouches-du-Rhone, illustrating Late Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
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. 2900 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic (3500-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial and territorial marker for agro-pastoral community
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 2900 BCE
Initial construction of Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex main structure
c. 1162 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
43.6617° N · 4.6192° E · -3 m · 3 mapped features
Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex — Main Megalithic Feature
plazaPrimary plaza at Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
43.6633° N · 4.6189° EGrotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex — Secondary Enclosure
reservoirAncillary reservoir at Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
43.6615° N · 4.6176° EGrotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panel
moundOutlier mound panel linked to Grotte des Fees Dolmen Arles Annex — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape
43.6612° N · 4.6184° E