Orientations of the Provençal Dolmens

Abstract

Michael Hoskin writes: In our 1999 issue we published a lengthy article on “Orientations of 935 dolmens of southern France”, based on the work of the late Yves Chevalier. ¹ The second section discussed dolmens in the area of the Lower Rhône. However, Chevalier had not been able to investigate the eastern half of this region (consisting mainly of the départements of Provence, together with Alpes-Maritimes, see Figure 1). Yet these départements, which extend eastwards along the Mediterranean coast towards the Italian frontier, contain a significant number of dolmens, whose orientations are of great interest. The article that follows is written by the acknowledged authority on these monuments,² and has the great merit of covering virtually all those dolmens of the area for which reliable orientations can be established. Although most of the orientations were measured only to the nearest 5°, or even 10°, and information on altitudes is lacking, the pattern of orientation is unambiguous: Without a single exception, the Provençal dolmens faced between about 205° and 290°, which may be interpreted as directions in which the sun could be seen descending or setting. This is the reverse of the situation in Iberia, where nearly all the dolmens faced sunrise or the sun when it was climbing in the sky.