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Contact
Chateau Comble SAS
15 rue du Chateau
La Mothe St-Heray
79800 France
www.chateaucomble.com
contact@chateaucomble.com
About Us
Support Us
Friends programm
Nonprofit
FAQ
Terms and Conditions
Sign up for our newsletter
We will only use your email address to send you our newsletter.
You can unsubscribe via the link in our emails
Cookies & Privacy policy
@ 2025 SAS Chateau Comblé and Comblé Foundation, All Rights Reserved
Contact
Chateau Comble SAS
15 rue du Chateau
La Mothe St-Heray
79800 France
www.chateaucomble.com
contact@chateaucomble.com
About Us
Support Us
Friends programm
Nonprofit
FAQ
Terms and Conditions
Sign up for our newsletter
We will only use your email address to send you our newsletter.
You can unsubscribe via the link in our emails
Cookies & Privacy policy
@ 2025 SAS Chateau Comblé and Comblé Foundation, All Rights Reserved
The excavation of the dolmen was undertaken in June 1844 by Dr. Sauze; the author's report is as follows. The passage yielded broken human bones and some fragments of crude pottery. Crushed bones were collected under the small table. The chamber was accessible from both the north and south sides. The northern trench continued under the stone along its right side. It produced bones, including a child's jawbone, pottery shards, and some pieces of worked bone. The southern trench, begun three meters back in order to simultaneously explore the left side of the small dolmen, yielded a blond-gray flint axe (beneath the horseshoe notch), then, in Penetrating beneath the stone, a tawny flint knife, several fragments of knives or instruments of various shapes, three of which were perfectly triangular and sharp on one side only, a flint arrowhead, the first of its kind encountered in the country, the only one the museum possesses, numerous pottery fragments, some decorated with dotted circular lines, others featuring a series of triangles placed in a straight line and dotted inside. The author notes that Bougon has already provided similar shards. He also notes under the table a quantity of broken and crushed bones, a small coin believed to be Roman, and a white metal ring decorated with a setting.
Another trench dug perpendicular to the southern trench, between the southwest point of the small slab and the corridor, led to the discovery of a burial under slabs arranged in the shape of a roof. This burial, which contained a skeleton of a man, but no artifacts, greatly intrigued the excavator.
Several caves also exist on this site. Four caves have been discovered some as long as 34m and as high as 7m. The largest is accessed from a sink hole and had been named the “Hole of Jupiter” since time immemorial.
The excavation of the dolmen was undertaken in June 1844 by Dr. Sauze; the author's report is as follows. The passage yielded broken human bones and some fragments of crude pottery. Crushed bones were collected under the small table. The chamber was accessible from both the north and south sides. The northern trench continued under the stone along its right side. It produced bones, including a child's jawbone, pottery shards, and some pieces of worked bone. The southern trench, begun three meters back in order to simultaneously explore the left side of the small dolmen, yielded a blond-gray flint axe (beneath the horseshoe notch), then, in Penetrating beneath the stone, a tawny flint knife, several fragments of knives or instruments of various shapes, three of which were perfectly triangular and sharp on one side only, a flint arrowhead, the first of its kind encountered in the country, the only one the museum possesses, numerous pottery fragments, some decorated with dotted circular lines, others featuring a series of triangles placed in a straight line and dotted inside. The author notes that Bougon has already provided similar shards. He also notes under the table a quantity of broken and crushed bones, a small coin believed to be Roman, and a white metal ring decorated with a setting.
Another trench dug perpendicular to the southern trench, between the southwest point of the small slab and the corridor, led to the discovery of a burial under slabs arranged in the shape of a roof. This burial, which contained a skeleton of a man, but no artifacts, greatly intrigued the excavator.
Several caves also exist on this site. Four caves have been discovered some as long as 34m and as high as 7m. The largest is accessed from a sink hole and had been named the “Hole of Jupiter” since time immemorial.
Chateau Comble’s own private Dolmen de la Garenne, situated just a few hundred meters above the Chateau on a wooded limestone promontory overlooking the last bend in the in Pomproux River before it joins the Sèvre-Niortaise River has been a spiritual and gathering site for 6000 years and has been associated with the Chateau since the 1300’s. The dolmen sits upon the top of a hillside which falls away on all 3 sides with an old growth oak forest surrounding it and several entrances to underground storage areas and several more burial chambers. It is also rumoured that located in the vicinity is an entrance to an escape tunnel built in the 14th century that leads back to the castle, yet no evidence to date of this
has been found.
The name of the archaeological site “Garenne”, which has been a National Registered Historical Monument (MH) since 1970, literally translates to “rabbit hole”. The hillside was used since medieval times as rabbit hunting grounds, taking advantage of the neolithic stones and passages to snare rabbits.
The most predominate dolmen is Site A, which consists of a 3.9m x 3.5m x .40m stone table set upon two 1m high vertical stone slab pillars. There is a curious semicircular notch at the front, undoubtedly made by human hands. There is an additional Dolmen measuring 1.4m x 1.9m to the south. The site also contains five stones placed on edge and inclined, drawing a curved line about 75 cm wide and 4 m long. A sixth stone is slightly apart. These are the remains of a curved corridor opening to the southwest.
The slabs are made of limestone. It is quite difficult to assess the original dimensions of the circular tumulus, which must have been modified by the excavation spoil. Dr. Sauzé attributes a diameter of 10-12 m and a height of 1.50 m. The chamber would therefore be offset to the north of the cairn. Which in turn is set upon on a 10m wide oval mound.
Chateau Comble’s own private Dolmen de la Garenne, situated just a few hundred meters above the Chateau on a wooded limestone promontory overlooking the last bend in the in Pomproux River before it joins the Sèvre-Niortaise River has been a spiritual and gathering site for 6000 years and has been associated with the Chateau since the 1300’s. The dolmen sits upon the top of a hillside which falls away on all 3 sides with an old growth oak forest surrounding it and several entrances to underground storage areas and several more burial chambers. It is also rumoured that located in the vicinity is an entrance to an escape tunnel built in the 14th century that leads back to the castle, yet no evidence to date of this
has been found.
The name of the archaeological site “Garenne”, which has been a National Registered Historical Monument (MH) since 1970, literally translates to “rabbit hole”. The hillside was used since medieval times as rabbit hunting grounds, taking advantage of the neolithic stones and passages to snare rabbits.
The most predominate dolmen is Site A, which consists of a 3.9m x 3.5m x .40m stone table set upon two 1m high vertical stone slab pillars. There is a curious semicircular notch at the front, undoubtedly made by human hands. There is an additional Dolmen measuring 1.4m x 1.9m to the south. The site also contains five stones placed on edge and inclined, drawing a curved line about 75 cm wide and 4 m long. A sixth stone is slightly apart. These are the remains of a curved corridor opening to the southwest.
The slabs are made of limestone. It is quite difficult to assess the original dimensions of the circular tumulus, which must have been modified by the excavation spoil. Dr. Sauzé attributes a diameter of 10-12 m and a height of 1.50 m. The chamber would therefore be offset to the north of the cairn. Which in turn is set upon on a 10m wide oval mound.
The nearby famous Tumulus of Bougon only discovered in 1840 raised great scientific interest due to its vast size, complexity and age. The oldest structures of this prehistoric monument, called E1 and F0 date as far back as 4800 BC and they are one of the oldest examples of funerary architecture in the world, older even than the Pyramids at Giza. It is one of the best preserved and oldest neolithic sites in all of Europe and lies only a few kilometres away along with numerous other sites a short walk or bike ride away.
At the heart of Tumulus of Bougon’s allure is its architectural mastery. Each mound was engineered using large stone blocks, carefully positioned without the aid of modern technology. This reflects the exceptional skill and knowledge of the builders. The most significant tumulus, known as Tumulus A, displays a complex internal chamber, a testament to advanced prehistoric architecture. The Tumulus of Bougon also bears striking similarities to other megalithic sites across Europe, suggesting a shared cultural or spiritual significance during the Neolithic era.
The nearby famous Tumulus of Bougon only discovered in 1840 raised great scientific interest due to its vast size, complexity and age. The oldest structures of this prehistoric monument, called E1 and F0 date as far back as 4800 BC and they are one of the oldest examples of funerary architecture in the world, older even than the Pyramids at Giza. It is one of the best preserved and oldest neolithic sites in all of Europe and lies only a few kilometres away along with numerous other sites a short walk or bike ride away.
At the heart of Tumulus of Bougon’s allure is its architectural mastery. Each mound was engineered using large stone blocks, carefully positioned without the aid of modern technology. This reflects the exceptional skill and knowledge of the builders. The most significant tumulus, known as Tumulus A, displays a complex internal chamber, a testament to advanced prehistoric architecture. The Tumulus of Bougon also bears striking similarities to other megalithic sites across Europe, suggesting a shared cultural or spiritual significance during the Neolithic era.
With over a 7000 year history of Neolithic cultures present in the area, the history of long human habitation runs very deep at Chateau Comble with some of the oldest remnants of human civilization present on the Chateau’s very own grounds.
With over a 7000 year history of Neolithic cultures present in the area, the history of long human habitation runs very deep at Chateau Comble with some of the oldest remnants of human civilization present on the Chateau’s very own grounds.
With over a 7000 year history of Neolithic cultures present in the area, the history of long human habitation runs very deep at Chateau Comble with some of the oldest remnants of human civilization present on the Chateau’s very own grounds.
The nearby famous Tumulus of Bougon only discovered in 1840 raised great scientific interest due to its vast size, complexity and age. The oldest structures of this prehistoric monument, called E1 and F0 date as far back as 4800 BC and they are one of the oldest examples of funerary architecture in the world, older even than the Pyramids at Giza. It is one of the best preserved and oldest neolithic sites in all of Europe and lies only a few kilometres away along with numerous other sites a short walk or bike ride away.
At the heart of Tumulus of Bougon’s allure is its architectural mastery. Each mound was engineered using large stone blocks, carefully positioned without the aid of modern technology. This reflects the exceptional skill and knowledge of the builders. The most significant tumulus, known as Tumulus A, displays a complex internal chamber,
a testament to advanced prehistoric architecture. The Tumulus of
Bougon also bears striking similarities to other megalithic sites across Europe, suggesting a shared cultural or spiritual significance during
the Neolithic era.
Chateau Comble’s own private Dolmen de la Garenne, situated just a few hundred meters above the Chateau on a wooded limestone promontory overlooking the last bend in the in Pomproux River before it joins the Sèvre-Niortaise River has been a spiritual and gathering site for 6000 years and has been associated with the Chateau since the 1300’s. The dolmen sits upon the top of a hillside which falls away on all 3 sides with an old growth oak forest surrounding it and several entrances to underground storage areas and several more burial chambers. It is also rumoured that located in the vicinity is an entrance to an escape tunnel built in the 14th century that leads back to the castle, yet no evidence to date of this has been found.
The name of the archaeological site “Garenne”, which has been a National Registered Historical Monument (MH) since 1970, literally translates to “rabbit hole”. The hillside was used since medieval times as rabbit hunting grounds, taking advantage of the neolithic stones and passages to snare rabbits.
The most predominate dolmen is Site A, which consists of a 3.9m x 3.5m x .40m stone table set upon two 1m high vertical stone slab pillars. There is a curious semicircular notch at the front, undoubtedly made by human hands. There is an additional Dolmen measuring 1.4m x 1.9m to the south. The site also contains five stones placed on edge and inclined, drawing a curved line about 75 cm wide and 4 m long. A sixth stone is slightly apart. These are the remains of a curved corridor opening to the southwest.
The slabs are made of limestone. It is quite difficult to assess the original dimensions of the circular tumulus, which must have been modified by the excavation spoil. Dr. Sauzé attributes a diameter of 10-12 m and a height of 1.50 m. The chamber would therefore be offset to the north of the cairn. Which in turn is set upon on a 10m wide oval mound.
The excavation of the dolmen was undertaken in June 1844 by Dr. Sauze; the author's report is as follows. The passage yielded broken human bones and some fragments of crude pottery. Crushed bones were collected under the small table. The chamber was accessible from both the north and south sides. The northern trench continued under the stone along its right side. It produced bones, including a child's jawbone, pottery shards, and some pieces of worked bone. The southern trench, begun three meters back in order to simultaneously explore the left side of the small dolmen, yielded a blond-gray flint axe (beneath the horseshoe notch), then, in Penetrating beneath the stone, a tawny flint knife, several fragments of knives or instruments of various shapes, three of which were perfectly triangular and sharp on one side only, a flint arrowhead, the first of its kind encountered in the country, the only one the museum possesses, numerous pottery fragments, some decorated with dotted circular lines, others featuring a series of triangles placed in a straight line and dotted inside. The author notes that Bougon has already provided similar shards. He also notes under the table a quantity of broken and crushed bones, a small coin believed to be Roman, and a white metal ring decorated with a setting.
Another trench dug perpendicular to the southern trench, between the southwest point of the small slab and the corridor, led to the discovery of a burial under slabs arranged in the shape of a roof. This burial, which contained a skeleton of a man, but no artifacts, greatly intrigued the excavator.
Several caves also exist on this site. Four caves have been discovered some as long as 34m and as high as 7m. The largest is accessed from a sink hole and had been named the “Hole of Jupiter” since time immemorial.