Caixa de Rotllan
The Caixa de Rotllan (meaning "Roland's Tomb" in Catalan) is a dolmen in Arles-sur-Tech, Pyrénées-Orientales, southern France, dating back to the Neolithic period, during the second half of 3rd millennium BC.
View of the Caixa de Rotllan | |
Location within France | |
| Location | Arles-sur-Tech |
|---|---|
| Region | Pyrénées-Orientales, France |
| Coordinates | 42.48111°N 2.60111°E |
| Type | Dolmen |
| Length | 3 m |
| Width | 2 m |
| Height | 1.5 m |
| History | |
| Material | Granite |
| Periods | Neolithic/Chalcolithic |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | None |
| Public access | Free |
A legend holds that Roland lived in Vallespir and that, after his death at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, his horse Veillantif carried Roland's corpse back to Vallespir and buried him under this dolmen. Dolmens are actually tombs, but they were erected many centuries before the legendary knight's adventures.
The Caixa de Rotllan is made of three upright stones in a H-shape, supporting a thick roofing stone and delimiting a rectangular, medium-sized chamber. The entrance faces south-east, as do many other dolmens in Pyrénées-Orientales. The building has been listed as a Monument historique since 1889 but has never been excavated by archaeologists.