The present PhD thesis contributes to the understanding of the 3rd-2nd millennium BC megalith-erecting societies of the Upper Rhône Valley (Switzerland) by providing an in-depth analysis of ceramic findings. Pottery from the Petit-Chasseur megalithic necropolis and contemporaneous settlement sites were thoroughly characterized using multiple spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Acquired data allowed to unveil the raw material choices exerted by the potters and to infer on the paste preparation recipes followed to make the vessels. The comparison between the ceramic grave goods and offerings from the necropolis and the domestic pottery shed light on the people who built the megalithic monuments and experienced them, and thus on the social dimension of monumental burials.