The 2024 Dumont Prize awarded in the Gers to an archaeological investigation by Alain Beyneix

The 2024 Pierre-Dumont Prize was awarded last Saturday in Monferran-Savès, at the end of the archeology day, to Alain Beyneix, prehistorian, for his work “The tomb of the chief of Pauilhac, an archaeological mystification? “. This captivating book presents itself as a quasi-police investigation surrounding the discovery of this tomb in the mid-19th century.

It all began in 1865, in Pauilhac, when diggers working on the Auch-Agen railway line unearthed long flint blades, 2 large polished green stone axes, two pig or wild boar tusks, as well as a plaque. and 7 gold beads. The workers claim to have found these objects at a depth of 2 m, with bones, at the foot of a stone wall.

Suspicions of mystification

At the time, the thing was clear: this was the burial of a Neolithic chief. The find had a significant impact, objects were even exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1867.
The problem with this treasure is that it contains elements that have nothing to do together, and very few of those who analyze it have seen it! Multiple inaccuracies, the absence of real excavations, of scientific surveys, taint the discovery.

Also read:
Gold tiara and pearls, wild boar canines and mystification: the investigation into the “chef's grave” of Pauilhac revealed by Alain Beyneix in the Gers

Alain Beyneix takes up the chronology of events, exhuming previously unpublished archival documents and unraveling the actions of the successive actors in this affair. All the clues converge towards the hypothesis of a mystification, the constitution of a fantasized funerary panoply, like the “culture of Glozel”, still under debate.

Prix 2025

This year marked the 50th anniversary of this Pierre-Dumont prize, with 12 works in competition on a historical theme. The 2025 prize is already open, intended for works of literature (in the broad sense of the term): stories, poems, novels, etc., by authors of Gascon origin and/or directly inspired by Gascony.

The competition is open to everyone, regardless of age. Candidates must submit two copies of the proposed work before January 31 to the prize secretary: Laurent Mauras, 785 route de Gavarret, 32390 Sainte-Christie.