Abstract EN:

The survey of megaliths of'charente-maritime' counts l60 monuments including 46 passage-graves and chests,and 44 long-barrows. We have been able to show that 45% of the megaliths have disappeared in'charente-maritime' during the last two centuries. The excentric passagegraves with quadrangular chamber appear in'charente-maritime' in the fourth millenary bc. The use of chests for burials continues throughout this period. The presence of 'coupes a socle' and 'vases a cupule interne'remains gives proof that the passage-graves have been in use during the middle neolithic. The megalithic burials are always in use during the late neolithic and chalcolithic periods;in these periods, burials are either collectives or individuals. An inventive geological study (systematical microfacies analysis on limestone) shows the existence of short range areas (less than two kilometers)of supplying sources of limestone slabs by the local neolithic cultures. An anthropological study of bone's found in 6 burial chambers (passage-graves with quadrangular chambers and chests) provides some findings in paleodemography,paleosociology and paleopathology. Our findings were compared to results of other investigations in south-west and center of france. We thus argued about the usual mortuary practices during the fourth millenary bc (primary practices) and the third millenary bc (secondary practices).