The Giant Prehistoric Chamber In The Back Garden Of A French Café
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- The Brasserie le Dolmen is a family-run café with an unusual garden feature: a 5,000-year-old megalithic chamber. It's the biggest prehistoric structure of its kind in France, and one of the largest in the world, so why has no-one heard of it? I went to Bagneux in western France to investigate...
INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
TWIT - / thetimtraveller
FACE - / thetimtraveller
IMAGE CREDITS
Korean dolmen: commons.wikime...
Tumulus dolmen: commons.wikime...
English dolmen: commons.wikime...
French dolmen: commons.wikime...
Spanish dolmen: commons.wikime...
Indian dolmen: commons.wikime...
Druids at Stonehenge: commons.wikime...
I'm not surprised at all these prehistoric humans build this in the yard of café. I can imagine lifting these huge rocks can make someone rather thirsty!
lol
He a little confused, but he got the spirit
haha nice!
Also a great place to bet on aurochs races
hahahahhahaha !!!! HAHAHAHAHA AHHA HAHA AHAH!!!!!!!!!! AARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In archaeology, "ritual item / ritual use" is the code for "we have no idea what this is". Although with giant stone bungalows, "probably a tomb" is basically the same. :D
Yep, or it's for some sort of sexual purpose which isn't immediately obvious and we have to say 'ritual item' for it to be displayed in a museum
I thought the 'we found human bones' excuse was a bit pointless considering you'd probably also find them in a house, if someone lived and died there...
People don't put the work into this kind of construction unless there's a "special" reason for it.
And yes, from that perspective, the world cup in football is "special", it's a ceremonial ritual, sort of.
They've found entire burial hoards in places like this, though.
@@starlinguk There are cultures that buried their dead in the houses where they lived. Or so archeologists believe.
Fyi: I should mention that there are several reviews on Google from people saying they turned up at the Dolmen during opening hours and found it was closed. If you do want to visit it might be worth calling ahead... just to make sure.
Fyi part II: at time of recording it's illegal not to wear a face covering in Saumur
Fyi part III: I think I may have stolen that hippy line from David Mitchell, but can't remember which of his many many panel show rants it's from
Just wanted to thank you for your awesome vids!
Hugs from Brazil
I thought it was because you were in an enclosed space! 😀
How much was it?
Ah, France! Where opening hours don't mean a lot... 😁
Really? Illegal not to wear a face mask? God dammit.
0:29 The Flintstone's theme as French accordion waltz is the perfect touch.
Now I know Tim plays the piano, I wonder if he does the piano accordion too?
And the Homes under the Hammer theme at the end!
Gordon McMillan Yep, he can!
Yeah, I didn’t catch it the first time, until just as it was fading. Had to go back and re-listen. It is fascinating
I thought I recognized that tune but couldn't put my finger on it!
Archeologists found remnants of an even older structure behind the dolmen. Speculation is that the original proprietors of the dolmen hosted guests who came to see this older landmark.
Great, so basically it's a bar and museum that tells the story of a bar and museum.
I just love the fact there’s an accordion version of the Flintstones theme song. The icing on the cake. Never heard of this place so thank you for talking about it
He probably made it himself.
It took me so long to figure out that tune. Then when it hit me, how obvious! 😉
Omg I was scrolling through the comments to find it 😂 thank you, I was dieing to find out what doing it was
Is that an accordion? I thought it sounded like a concertina.
@@hlynnkeith9334 Well, since Tim plays the electronic keyboard, I am betting on that.
A million subscribers before christmas and I’m getting it.
Us, the fans: *is that a challenge*
*Yes*
Only 844k subscribers to go. It's possible!
Old “Chinese” proverb: Be careful what you wish for, you may get it”.
He didn't say Christmas of which year.
Let's go get Jack sucks at life to do this.
Kudos for the Flintstones intro music.
It is well-known that ancient Gauls could count on their druids and their magic concoctions to effortlessly move large stones around. This is well-covered in a series of illustrated, historically accurate, documentary books featuring two slightly more recent, but still ancient, Gauls, the inhabitants of their village, and even a small pet.
As for the reason for building this dolmen, I should think it's obvious: it's a bungalow in a beautiful area, full of wine and chateaux and a bar very close by. Who wouldn't want to build there ? what's that you say ? the chateaux didn't exist ? well, they exist now, don't they ? it was all a bit of foresight and the descendants of the builders now stand to make good money from their ancestors' foresight.
Man, I love this more then the national geographic documentaries
He is also way better then the 'historic documentaries' we get on german TV :-)
*thin
@@FedoraSpunk *tin
Because those who do something out of love, produce finer quality than those with a financial focus.
Paid for a hobby is pretty much the secret to a happy work/life
Wish they were longer
Every time Tim says "but we're here not to see that", my thoughts are: "I'll go there to see exactly that".
I've visited Monschau, after watching the Vennbahn video. Now I'm sure I'll visit Saumur one day.
I think you may be the first person to fully understand the deeper meaning of the catchphrase
Saumur is a really great city (I live at around 50km in a slightly bigger city, Angers), but the visit of the castle is pretty boring (it was used as a jail so there's no historical objects left, it is used as a small museum, but beautiful from the outside!). I would definitely recommend you to visit other parts of the city though! If you want to visit castles, the best ones around are at the village/city of Brissac-Quincé, Azay and Angers ^^
Nothing like standing under an 80 ton rock in a structure designed like a house of cards.
Considering both the series and todays construction it seems safer to stand under 80 tons of rock ;-)
It looks precarious, until you learn the vertical stones extend deep underground.
Also built before invention of written word too!
Its been there literally thousands of years, you melon.
@@Queen-of-Swords Malta's Famous Azure Window was there for thousands of years and that didn't stop it from collapsing.
As a Dutchman, I feel the need to point out that we have them too. We call them "hunebedden".
There are still 54 of them left standing. 52 of which are located in the province Drenthe.
Jup and one of them still has the original mound on top of it.
@@ellendehollander7684 Jep:)
Today's 'Hallooo' is fresh and exciting, making a perfect opener to a light snack meal.
If you like this Tim, then I recommend you come to visit the place Borger in the Netherlands. Here you'll find the largest megalithic tombs (22,5 metres long). Borger is located in province Drenthe. This province has lots of megalithic tombs and you're welcome to stay here.
Is there not a ‘heritage de France’ that would look after this sort of stuff?
I’m so hoping that you get 1 million subscribers now!
There is, and historically significant buildings are usually taken care of (more or less). But it's a pretty modern idea, and I think if the dolmen has been in the backyard of that cafe for generations, perhaps it was never recognized / classified as important.
It's different now if it's really for sale, it could be acquired by the municipality, or by a non-profit wanting to expose it.
@@_asphobelle6887 Actually, you can see at around 5 minutes, on the left, above the number 56, the symbole of "Monument Historique". Meaning the site is register in the inventory of France's historical monument (which depends on the ministry of culture) and is thus legally protected. You can own it, but you can't do what you want with it. It's illegal to destroy it, modify it, displace it, or sell it abroad for example.
Most of Europe does just have an abundance of places like this so not every single one gets that much focus and it's usually only the really important ones that get attention. Most are just sorta there and have been there for thousands of years and nothing have touched them so far so that probably wont change.
It's not historical. Trust me. Compare it to other dolmans and you can see right away that it is counterfeit.
@@christianfreedom-seeker934 It's cerntainly not counterfeited if the dolmen is recognized and protected by the ministry of culture. There's people who study these things, you know?
La Roche aux Fées in Bretagne is comparable in size, free to visit, and in a much more attractive location. Less accessible by public transportation though...
I’d probably still walk inside as well. All the while thinking “if after 5000 years it fell at the exact moment I’m in there then it’s just destiny and it’s my time” lmao
Tim, have you not heard the Dutch ‘hunebedden’, found in the province of Drenthe, where the ice age left these huge stones.
(At the word Menhir my first thought was of Obelix though, who allways carries one on his back.)
As a sidenote the names in that cartoon were phenomenal. My personal favorites were always Vitalstatistix, a chief who was essentially irrelevant, Corcofanix, a bard who sounds terrible, and Getafix, the druid who hands out potions.
Hayreddin Barbarossa And what about Idéfix, the dog.
Was about to say this.
@Cáca Milis sa Seomra Spraoi Didn't all the Romans have names ending in "-um"?
And these Dutch Hunebedden you can visit for free and you can touch each and every stone. And that in a country that has no natural rock anywhere except for what the glaciers brought us during the ice ages.
Sneaky Homes under the Hammer tune at the end, well done. Interesting, Tim. Thanks.👍
I hope he thinks about reading the legal pack ;)
Man, Tim, I just love your work and channel. It’s unique. Not over-polished transitions and drone footage, but just simple walking video’s with your added voice later on doing the rest. Combine that with your sense of humor and interesting unknown history, and there you have it: The Tim Traveller. Keep up the good work!
If that cafe doesn’t serve wild boar, then I’m not going...
My thoughts turned to Obelix as well 😁
Surely you've got the wrong Belgium cartoon thumbnail for this comment?
Agreed. We all know that those stones were put in place there by Obelix and his fellow Gauls.
Hayreddin Barbarossa. Fixed it just for you!
@@johnturner4400 you sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. Thankyou👍
Dolmens are very common around Ireland such as the Poulnabrone in County Clare. (The one you showed on the map)
We also have Newgrange in County Meath which is well worth looking up. It's older than Stonegenge or the pyramids.
Newgrange is also far better than Stonehenge in every measurable manner
@@rorysparshott4223 We also have stone circles like Drombeg Stone Circle in West Cork or Beltany in County Donegal.
Newgrange is amazing !
@@rorysparshott4223 Not true. I live 10 miles from Stonehenge but hours away from Newgrange 😂😂😂😂😂
@Cáca Milis sa Seomra Spraoi I love the Burren. Twice there at Poulnabrone, the first time there was no fencing.
Flintstones theme starts playing.
Tim really went on a GRAND adventure for this one.
More than that, I'll bet he had a gay old time!
The amount of LOLs I get from such a short video is just unbelievable.
“The’ve gone for a spacious detached bungalow kind of vibe here” 🤣
Thank you for making my day. Definitely deserves 1M subs.
That brasserie and the surrounding streets is exactly the image I have when I think of a sleepy french village. Its .. tres rustique. I wouldn't have imagined a dolmen right next to the (obligatory) decrepit local cafe, but they did a good job of blending it in with those wedged in lightbulbs, monobloc seats and those fantasy card things at 3:57.
Thanks for visiting, in a sense this is better then a fancy tourist hot spot.
France is so beautiful. I hope to go back one day and spend more time there!
The tank museum is worth visiting too. They have a running Tiger.
Looks like a "Hunebed" that we have in Drenthe, the Netherlands 🇳🇱 search for the Hunebed Highway en you will find them.
I suddenly have a great desire to watch a Flintstones marathon. The original cartoon version, of course. Thank you!
You never specified *which* Christmas. So whenever you reach your million (which you will!) I expect the „I bought a Dolmen - HOUSE TOUR“-video.
Thanks a lot for this vidéo about the biggest dolmen of France ! Beautiful !
Love the jazzy "Homes under the Hammer" theme! :D
(Wonder how many people got that, as it's a daytime BBC1 show.)
hahah, I thought it sounded familiar, but I had it on 1.5x speed at first so it was hard to place
Either that or ya know... The Flintstones with a French twist. Because it's prehistoric and in France...
@@Nubby007 I vote flintstones.
@@Nubby007 I was talking about the music at the end of the video.
@@gymnasiast90 Ah, yeah. I was already thinking that is was a bit far-fetched
The Pierre de Silex theme was a stroke of genius. Thanks Tim for another great video 👍
850K subs in less than 77 days, come on guys we've got this #subtotimtraveller
I would but I already did ;-)
He did get 100k in a few weeks... So totally do-able! (Sorry, not Sorry Tim)
Lets do it
Omg that music was so appropriate xD
Tim.
A million thanks for keeping the Tim trav going. You do my heart good.
Respect. I will follow in some of your footsteps once the covid thing is gone.
As you are an inspiration
You’re the CZcams “detectorist”.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Much love and stay safe my brilliant friend. 😃😃
Just imagine if Tim reaches 1 million subscribers... How the hell is he going to pay his promise?
I think he will run away and live forever in the tunnels dans La Petite Ceinture or maybe even dans Les Catacombes.
Keep living to your promises... :D :D :D
I'm just "Dolmen, pft, we have those all over Sweden wow that one is BIG!"
In '18 I went all the way from New Zealand to see the Normandy WW2 sites. Excellent too. But I must have been fairly close this site and I saw no publicity about at all, so I missed it. C'mon France, we love spending our tourist dollars with you, but we have to know what you have got.
In the future you could look into the "hunnebed highway" and the "hunnebed expres" which are in Borger in the Netherlands! Hunnebed is the Dutch word for these type of structures! Especially the expres is wonderful, it's a little golf car with a fake stone on top!
I lived in Haute-Vienne for a year about 8 years ago. On the scenic route back from the nearest Intermarche I kept seeing this small handmade sign saying 'Menhir---->" and one day I decided I'd take a look. A few more helpful signs later and I was at the end of the road in a small hamlet where I parked up. The road continued straight on and immediately turned into a chemin and I was off on foot into the fields. 20 minutes later I was in the middle of nowhere, had not found a menhir, and had seen no more signs so gave up and turned back to the car. When I got back I found I had parked next to the damn menhir with it on the passenger side, and given it was a meagre 18 inches high I had missed it entirely. Sometimes these things aren't what you expect!
The Maltese Islands have various dolmens in varied state of conservation and well preserved temple remains.
The Flintstones theme on accordion was a lovely touch.
Good thing they had dinosaurs back then to help them lift those huge rocks!
Ahh a fellow man of science.
Fake news. Obelix did it
@@kobusg7460 Except Obelix was clearly a Celt so he wasn't around to build the originals... At best he was making replicas and tributes, the time's equivalent to neoclassical architecture.
@@KimonFrousios Oh my word, too much information and fact; I feel a headache coming on.
Now that is funny
Hi, what a great tour of the area. So much going on there. I'd love to visit my self one day. Thanks for showing us around.😎😊👏💕
we got something similair, in drenthe can you find the hunebedden. they are different but also pretty much the same. (+ they are free to watch and walk around)
Hey, here in northern Germnay we also have many (really many!) of these megalithic structures!
And also northern Netherlands, esp Drenthe.
When you can go back to the UK, Tim, you need to get up to the Knap of Howar in Orkney. Located on Papa Westray (an island of 80 people and a wonderful bird sanctuary), it is the oldest house in Western Europe. Unlike the much more famous Scara Brae on Mainland Orkney, accessing it requires a combination of ferries (including the schoolboat that takes the middle-grades children of PW to neighboring Westray every day) and flights on a small aircraft (including the shortest regularly-scheduled commercial flight in the world at
I was confused why I recognised the name Papa Westray since it’s a small island with a population of 80 people and I live on the other side of the world. But then I looked it up and looked at the pictures of that place and I think I must of watched a video about it before. I can’t remember anything about the video but that place definitely looks familiar and I recognise the name of the island.
@@rachelcookie321 It is also quite (in)famous for the shortest regularly-scheduled commercial flight in the world. Landing permission has to be requested before take off.
That's decided it for me, this summer I am off to "Frogs Henge" beats the one in the UK, can't even get near that one.
Very interesting.
I love how you can still make great videos with all those restrictions
Living in France (specifically, Paris) helps.
@@SeverityOne yes, I know he is in Paris, (he made a video about that a while back) ... but given that his channel is about the lesser known part of the world, it is nice that he can still find places and do great videos given the movement restrictions.
@@Siminfrance I know, but France is a wonderful country (although, guessing by your username, you already know that) and it's chock full of weird and unusual things, like the transporter bridge near Rochefort in Charente-Maritime, which is a lovely (and rather touristy) area even by French standards. Currently closed and not likely to open before April though, and you better get a bicycle unless you like walking a lot.
What a treat this video is. Tim talking on camera and a Homes Under The Hammer theme tune! Half expecting Dion Dublin to come out and complain about the lack of stairs.
Sacre blue! What a delightful way to start the weekend :D
The statement at 3:07 that they are concentrated in the Celtic areas of Europe initially really bothered be since it had already been mentioned that they were 5,000 years old, so I was really glad when at 3:22 it was clarified that that is an absolute coincidence despite what some people think
In the netherlands (mainly drenthe) we have a lot of 'hunnebedden'
Round boulders on top of one another, it is also though that they are graves. Maybe you could do a video again if it is allowed..
I'm impressed you opened this video with everyone's favorite childhood cartoon The Flintstones xD
Set up a Kickstarter so that your 150k+ subscribers can each own 1/150,000 of it for some nominal donation.
sign me up for that :-)
I'd be in!
I’m in.
Where and when would the owners association meet to work out different opinions about maintenance costs, parking privileges and tax matters?
G Henrickson there is a restaurant at the Château in town, would that work?
Your first few words and the pics got me to realize I want to listen to and watch more of your videos, so I subscribed. This video is fun and interesting, thank you!
Memories of Saumur when I visited with my family. There’s loads of monuments dotted about as I recall. P.S. love your videos!
What's your preferred bubbles from Saumur? I tasted a splendid one, but can't find it again..
Maybe re edit to 10 million! I was here when you had 3k subscribes and loved those videos; but the new ones keep getting better and better
The intro music was very appropriate.
You have to buy it- that way you can use the opening music but change the lyrics to: "Tim's stones, come see Tim's stones- they're a part of gallic history. Tim's stones, come see Tim's stones- they're right next to the patisserie."
Silly man I am advertising u to everyone I know so u have to buy a dolmen
On the topic of easy to access and crowd-free ancient sites, I'm an Aussie who visited England a few years ago, and I never bothered with Stone Henge, opting instead for the Uffington White Horse and Weyland's Smithy (which involve some lovely moderate hill walking). I went on a weekday and there was barely anyone about. I recommend it.
In the Netherlands we have 52 "hunebedden", which are (very) similar to dolmens, almost all located in a strech of land 40 km long between Groningen and Emmen.
Malta is known for its prehistoric temples such as the one at Ħaġar Qim. They have a very similar facade are form a much larger complex. The Dolmen Hotel in Buġibba has one such temple by its pool.
Never been so fast!!
Me neither!
Bet your partners said the same thing in bed last night
Recommend you visit Avebury in Wiltshire. You can view Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow, Wayland's Smithy and Uffington White Horse on the same day - they're all nearby.
Everybody knows that the dolsmens in france were built by some kid who fell in large cauldron...
and that kid had been terrorizing the Roman Legions since then
Only a single dolmen in Bagneux... how sad...
Bet the mortgage adviser wants a survey done. "I'm sorry sir, it does not conform to the latest building regulations, there are no windows, no toilet, no electrical sockets and the wifi connection is really cr@p."
Hmm, I didn’t know the Flintstones speak baguette now
Loving the 'Homes under the Hammer' outro!
“Who lives in a house like this” I see what you did there.
By far the best channel on CZcams. So for funny, so informative.
Keep up the good work! :)
Honestly where has this youtuber been all of my life!!? Subscribed!
After seeing this video a year ago or so, I’ve randomly bumped into this place a couple days ago while trekking down the Loire ! Really unexpected.
I could also add that dolmens are wonderful stone tents to sleep under at night, above all when it’s rather windy and rainy like last week ! Great video
The accordion music was spot on. I hope everyone picks up on the musical jokes in your videos.
Your videos always brighten my day. They are witty and informative and well rounded. I love that you place a spotlight on unknown tourist locations and just random oddities. Cheers to you!
Again a great and interesting video from you! Thank you :-)
I'm sorry, but can we just appreciate that the opening theme was the Flintstones, and the closing theme was Homes Under the Hammer. The musical easter eggs are the best part of these videos.
Great content Tim. Just discovered your channel. It's really fun to watch. Love your deliberate "bloopers"😅😜🤣🤪
Hahahaha! The Flintstones on the accordian. You sir are a genius.
Love the Homes Under The Hammer theme
Tim my friend. Thanks for all you do. Its a joy to watch your videos.
Love your videos, style, narration and subtle humour. Keep it up mate, youre doing a wonderful job.
Also you look like Simon Pegg
Fab. I am from Kits Coty. Great to see a complete one for a change!
The family loves your channel just had to comment on this one because of the theme music the Flintstones.... We see what you did there, very nice. Take care and stay safe.
I was there as a young man way back in '92! Way cool. There's also a Roman arena not far away.
You won me over with "the Flintstones" theme.
Thanks ! Have never heard of this . So vastly ancient and so incredibly well built to stand for 50 centuries. Just one stone 80 tons. Why on earth would they go to so much trouble ? To build it so well they obviously wanted it to last ; for eons as most all these dolmens do last from prehistory. Just looking at them they almost taunt you to find out who built them and why . Such huge effort implies they had great purpose and meaning but the key to there secrets is lost. I’ve looked at them many times and wondered what lost culture did this , it must have been vibrant with its own , clothing, pottery, sensibilities, holidays and full of emotion and connections all gone as if it never existed accept for these vestiges of stone. And it seems that they are like just the tooth left behind from a great extinct animal that we really can’t recreate what it looked like.
The perfect blend of hard-core history and hilarious humour. Well done again sir!
Love the Druid rant cut LOL
Me: immediately checks how many subscribers Tim has, and how many friends I think I can convince to follow the channel.
Took me a minute to recognize that the opening accordion music is "Meet The Flintstones."
_Brilliant_
Ancient structure for which we have no explanation: exists
Archeologists: RiTuAlIsTiC tOmB
The most laid back chill vidéaste ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
You might enjoy Carnac in southern Bretagne, which has fields of standing stones, the odd very large menhir and similar dolmen, with no charge and no barriers to getting up close. My family used to go to one of the campsites there every year when I was young. Happy days!
okay this is my offical fave youtube channel now
The jaunty version of the Homes Under the Hammer theme killed me 😂
Anyone else more impressed with the Homes Under The Hammer theme than the Flintstones?
“So Tim, what made you want to buy this place?”
Sorry, inside jokes don't travel well across the pond...
The music never fails to crack me up in these videos Tim! Was that Homes Under the Hammer at the end there?
I’m fascinated by what seems to be the fact that all we discover are temples and burial chambers. This on the other hand could have been my grandparents to the tenth power home.