Dolmen de la Grenouille, Dolmen in Saint-Piat, France
The dolmen du Berceau is a megalithic stone structure located in Saint-Piat, in the Eure-et-Loir department of France, situated between the town of Maintenon and the hamlet of Changé. It consists of large upright stones topped by a flat capstone, and stands alongside a second dolmen and a menhir as part of the same site.
The dolmen du Berceau was built in prehistoric times, most likely as a burial place for early communities in the region. Between the early 1980s and the year 2000, eighteen rounds of archaeological excavations uncovered tools and small objects made from stone and bone, shedding light on the people who once gathered here.
The dolmen du Berceau sits near a wooded area known as the Camp de César, and the trees form a natural frame around the stones. The carved markings on the stones are visible to anyone walking around the site, making this one of the few decorated megalithic structures in the area.
The site is outdoors and set in a rural area, so sturdy footwear is a good idea before heading out. A small museum opened nearby in 2015 and offers models and explanations that make the visit easier to understand, especially for first-time visitors.
Although the dolmen du Berceau officially belongs to Saint-Piat, it has historically been recorded on maps under the neighboring town of Maintenon, which caused confusion among researchers for decades. More recent studies have also noted that some of the stones may be oriented toward specific sun or moon positions, raising questions about how the site was originally planned.
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