La Petite Pérotte

La Petite Pérotte and La Grosse Pérotte are placed a mere 45m apart and should be grouped together.
They have been built into a natural ridge a few kilometres SW of the village of Fontenille.

Easily spotted from the D.61, the stones are marked with the usual brown historic monument sign, “Dolmens”.
Parking is easy from the track which runs along the ridge and although this would had led to them being well known, it might have also lead to their apparent vandalism.
La Petite Pérotte lies about 800m SW of the D.61 and is the first monument reached.

A huge capstone about 5m in length, 3m wide and 2m thick, rests on several supporting stones.
This all sits on top of a small earthen mound, which when viewed from the East, seems to contain a sunken chamber.
The supporting stones had either been chosen or shaped to form a purposefully square chamber below the capstone.

These supporting stones have clearly been disturbed in recent times, either in the course of archaeological investigation or as I would suspect, archaeological treasure hunters. A concrete plinth stands by La Grosse Pérotte, but it’s bronze information plaque has been ripped off and any details relating to the either chambers’ Neolithic carvings, obscured from the causal tourist or sight seer. I counted at least three areas an industrial stone cutter had been employed. It would be nice to think that whatever had been removed had found it’s way into a local museum, but cultural vandalism seems more likely. Maybe Egyptians getting their own back on the children of Napoleon.

The Dolmens may have lost part of their magic and mystery, but the planting of Oak trees around their confines has imparted an air of tranquillity and peace to a much disturbed site.

Chance – Sep 2008