How about stepping back in time thousands of years? We are standing before the Allée couverte des Déserts. This is Argenteuil’s oldest existing trace of human settlement.
The Allée couverte des Déserts is a covered alley. It is also called the Allée couverte de la Butte-Vachon. This remarkable site dates back to the Neolithic period. Specifically, it is from 3500 to 2300 BC. It stands as a testament to the Seine-Oise-Marne civilization.
Imagine this place as a collective burial site. It reflects the era’s social structures. People were becoming settled. It is a window into their lives.
Originally, the area was known as a deserted place. It was surrounded by cultivated fields. That is how it got the name “Déserts”. In 1867, an overseer noticed human bones and flint objects. His name was M. Guédon. This led to the rediscovery of the Allée couverte des Déserts.
Louis Legay conducted thorough excavations. He was the president of the Parisian Society of Archaeology and History. After the excavation, the tomb was restored. The French Society of Numismatics and Archaeology helped. The municipality of Argenteuil protected it. They installed a locked gate before 1899.
The Allée couverte des Déserts was listed as a historical monument in 1943. Initially, it belonged to the Ministry of Culture. Ownership transferred to the municipality later. This happened after an agreement was signed.
The Allée couverte des Déserts is on a hillside. It is 55 meters above sea level. It overlooks the Seine, about 100 meters away. During Legay’s excavations, the covered alley was 9.30 meters long. However, a paved floor extended beyond this. It suggests the original length was at least 13 meters. The entrance remains a mystery. No traces of an entrance or an antechamber have been found. The structure is oriented north-northwest to south-southeast. It faces the Seine.
It was built semi-underground. It has a square section. It is 1.90 meters high and 1.90 meters wide. The walls consist of carefully stacked millstone and limestone slabs. The slabs are without mortar. This creates regular interior walls. A 2.10-meter-wide slab closes the back. It leans slightly inward. It rests on both walls. Small slabs covered the floor. According to Legay’s plan, five sandstone slabs covered the chamber. The last slab near the back was broken. A dolmenic cairn topped the structure. It consisted of stacked limestone slabs. Vegetation covered this cairn. This formed a tumulus known as “la butte Vachon”.
During excavations, the rear of the chamber had partially collapsed. This happened during its use. This collapse disturbed the original arrangement of the buried bodies. According to Legay, the bodies were placed sitting. They leaned against the wall. A child’s skeleton was found in a vertical position. The exact number of buried bodies is unknown. Eleven skulls were discovered.
Lithic material was found. It included flint tools and arrowheads. Polished axes were discovered. Some still had their antler handles. There was also a jadeite ax from Mount Viso. Amulet axes made of hard rock were found. Ornament elements included perforated fragments. These were cut from a boar’s tusk and a turtle shell. A schist pendant and nacre beads were discovered. Bone punches and pottery shards were also found. These are attributed to the Seine-Oise-Marne culture. All these findings date back to the Late Neolithic period.
Bones of badgers, beavers, boars, horses, and deer were also found. Part of this collection is in the Museum of National Antiquities. It is located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Today, the Allée couverte des Déserts stands as a protected monument. It only opens during Heritage Days. It is a window into a distant past. It connects us to the people who lived here thousands of years ago. Remember this ancient site. It is a testament to human history.