The dolmen of Wéris (or the north dolmen or Wéris I)
History
It was in 1879 that the Wéris dolmen was officially reported for the first time, in "Les Antiquités du village de Wéris", an article by Major Auguste Daufresne de la Chevalerie, who believed he was dealing with the tomb of a chief of Gallic tribe. But the monument was known before, probably already around 1850.
Following a report by Emile Tandel, member of the Monuments Commission, the Belgian State acquired in 1882 the monument and the land where it is located. In 1885-1886, the dolmen underwent a first restoration and was surrounded by the base with a protective grid that can be seen on old postcards.
Excavations
Excavations were carried out in 1888 and 1906, without the scientific rigor of today. Two modern excavation campaigns took place, first from 1979 to 1984 by the former National Excavation Service, then from 1999 to 2001 by the Department of Archeology of the Walloon Region and the Walloon Association of Studies megalithic. A new restoration was carried out in 1991: the grid was removed, three menhirs found in front of the monument were straightened.
The archaeological material is limited to a few human bones, shards of pottery and cut flints. For a collective burial, the number of bones found is reduced. The lithic material includes a few hammers, a small scraper, seven arrowheads.
Classified since 1974, registered in 1993 on the list of archaeological sites of exceptional character in Wallonia, the Wéris dolmen was ceded in 2000 to the Walloon Region.