Les stèles gravées du plateau de la Bretellière à Saint-Macaire-en-Mauges

Emmanuel Mens (1) , Gérard Berthaud (2) , Paul Raux (2) , Bruno Berson (2) , Roger Joussaume (3) , Yann Le Jeune (4, 5) , Jean-Baptiste Barreau (6) , Stéphane Jupin (2) , Yann Bernard (6, 7) , Serge Cousseau (8) , Didier Pfost (8)

1 TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés
2 Chercheur indépendant
3 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
4 DRAC - Pays de la Loire - Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Pays de la Loire
5 LGP - Laboratoire de géographie physique : Environnements Quaternaires et Actuels
6 CReAAH - Centre de Recherche en Archéologie, Archéosciences, Histoire
7 UR - Université de Rennes
8 Auteur indépendant

The "plateau de La Bretellière" in Saint-Macaire en Mauges (Maine-et-Loire, France) is an exceptional site where the monumental art of the 5th millennium is located in a preserved area. The engraved stelae have mostly not moved for the past 6000 years and are therefore studyable in their initial context. Zigzags and snake motifs are the two lead signs of the plateau and show affinities with the Iberian Peninsula. Four meters long, one of them is the most imposing broken line megalithic item in Europe. In low-angled light, it is currently visible at 150 meters. Taking advantage of the immutability of the stelae, distances and areas of specific visibility were calculated. The first results are oriented towards the existence of a path along the different figures inscribed on the mineral walls.

Keywords: Maine-et-Loire; Préhistoire; Archéologie

Domains: Archaeology and Prehistory

Emmanuel Mens, Gérard Berthaud, Paul Raux, Bruno Berson, Roger Joussaume, et al.. Les stèles gravées du plateau de la Bretellière à Saint-Macaire-en-Mauges. Arqueología y prehistoria del interior peninsular , 2016, 4 extra, pp.165-181. ⟨insu-01399035⟩