Dolmen de la Pierre Tournante, Neolithic dolmen in Nogent, France.
The dolmen de la Pierre Tournante, also called Pierre Branlante, lies in the forest of Marsois about two kilometres west of Nogent. Three upright stones set in a U shape form a north-south chamber roughly 3 m long, 1.2 m wide and 0.9 m high. The 4.3 by 3.8 m capstone, 0.4 m thick, has shifted to the north-east and lies only half over the chamber, its moss-covered slab resting above a dark recess.
First excavated in 1875-1876 by Father Bonaventure, the dolmen revealed flint tools, pottery fragments, and human remains from at least seven individuals buried during the Neolithic period.
Local folklore calls the capstone a turning stone that completes one rotation every hundred years; according to the legend, placing a hand on it lets you feel the movement. Another version says it turns once a century at midnight on Christmas Eve, when the earth opens to reveal a great treasure. Similar legends attach to menhirs of the same name in Eure and Calvados and to a dolmen at Tavers in Loiret.
Located near Marsois farm in Nogent, the site is accessible via forest paths from the D1 and D265 roads, requiring a woodland walk for visitors.
In the early 20th century, a lumberjack successfully moved the entire dolmen 75 centimeters eastward using oak logs and levers as part of a daring bet.
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