Dolmen de la Siureda, Neolithic dolmen near Maureillas-las-Illas, France.
Dolmen de la Siureda is an ancient burial monument made of three vertical gneiss slabs topped by a single capstone, forming a small chamber-like space. The entire structure sits on the Pyrenean slopes at roughly 400 meters elevation.
The structure was built in the late third millennium before the common era and lay hidden under a stone mound until its discovery in 1985. Finds from this period show that families used this burial place across multiple generations.
The name references the local landscape, while the site shows how ancient communities treated their dead as a family responsibility. Visitors can sense the importance placed on burial practices through the careful stone arrangement and the objects left behind.
The site is accessible via a clearly marked hiking trail starting from the nearby village, with yellow waymarks guiding the way. Good footwear is recommended since the terrain slopes upward and can be uneven in places.
The structure has an unusual opening system specifically designed to allow bodies to be placed inside and then sealed, a feature that sets it apart from other burial monuments in the area. This practical arrangement reveals much about how ancient people solved challenges in their funerary customs.
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