Dolmen de Bagneux
The dolmen de Bagneux is a megalith located in Saumur, France. It is one of the largest dolmen in France and in Europe. Introduction The dolmen in Bagneux is probably one of the most majestic French dolmens and the largest of the 4,500 dolmens spread out on about 60 French departments. Although some portal dolmens in Gironde or in Brittany might be a little longer, such as the 'Flat Stones' in Lockmariaker, which is long, none is neither as high nor as voluminous. Only, the dolmen in Essé near Retiers in Ille et Vilaine, is similar in size. In Europe, although there are very large dolmens in Great Britain or Denmark, only the Spanish dolmen in Antequera, near Málaga, is bigger. Description Size and temporal background The overall length of this dolmen is over and its chamber is over long. Like all dolmen this one is likely to date from the Neolithic c. 5,000 years ago, and would have received a large number of burials. Materials The flagstones of tertiary sandstone which make up the monument do not come from very far away. A layer of these sandstones, more or less dislocated, exists on the nearby heights of Bournand and