Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande, located in Carnac (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Carnac, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6378, -3.0888
- Mérimée Reference
- PA56000106
Nestling on the moors of Carnac, the megalithic site of Quéric-la-Lande reveals Neolithic dolmens of rare sobriety, silent witnesses to a funerary civilisation dating back over five thousand years.
History
In the heart of Breton megalithic country, just a stone's throw from the famous Carnac alignments, the Quéric-la-Lande site offers a striking array of standing stones and burial chambers half-buried in the vegetation. Far removed from the tourist crowds of some of the larger neighbouring sites, this site invites you to come face-to-face with the Neolithic builders, the farmers and shepherds who, between 4500 and 2500 BC, shaped the Morbihan landscape to reflect their vision of the world of the dead. What sets Quéric-la-Lande apart from the Carnacan megalithic constellation is precisely its discreet, unspoilt character. The dolmens that make up the site are part of a funerary architectural tradition that is characteristic of the Armorican Massif: colossal granite tables set on orthogonal supports, whose apparent balance defies the centuries and reveals a technical mastery that is truly astounding for societies with no metallurgy or mechanical machinery. Visiting the complex is like strolling through an archaeological site. Visitors make their way across open moorland, between gorse and heather, before discovering the structures that stand out with the strangeness typical of prehistoric architecture. There's something here that's irreducible to any museum reconstruction: the raw material, the silence of the centuries, the mineral weight of Breton granite. The natural setting reinforces the impression of timelessness. The low-angled morning and evening light envelops the megaliths in exceptional photographic quality, bringing out the golden lichens and veining of the granite. In autumn and spring, when the vegetation is low, the structures are revealed in all their glory. It is at these times of year that the spatial organisation of the site and the architectural coherence of the Neolithic funerary project are best appreciated.
Architecture
The dolmens of the Quéric-la-Lande complex belong to the family of megalithic burials with a single chamber or corridor, characteristic of the Middle and Final Armorican Neolithic. The typical structure is based on a combination of orthostats - large slabs of local granite set vertically into the ground - forming a burial chamber closed on three or four sides, topped by a horizontal covering slab of considerable dimensions. Some dolmens of this type can weigh several tonnes, lifted to a height of over 1.50 metres. Morbihan granite, which is abundant in the local subsoil, is the only material used in these constructions. It is exceptionally resistant to erosion, which explains why these structures have lasted for thousands of years. The surface of the slabs, partially worked by staking when they were laid, is now covered with yellow, grey and orange lichens that give the monuments their characteristic colouring. The Neolithic builders do not seem to have sought a smooth finish, preferring the raw robustness of the material to any form of ornamentation. The spatial organisation of the complex suggests a funerary territorial logic: the various monuments are arranged taking into account the relief, the orientation of the sun and perhaps astronomical landmarks, as has been observed at other megalithic sites in Morbihan. Some Carnacan dolmens orientate their access corridor towards the rising or setting sun, thus making death part of the cosmic cycle. The Quéric-la-Lande complex, in its current partially buried configuration, retains most of its original structure, providing a precious example of Neolithic funerary architecture in a natural setting.
Related Figures
James Miln — archéologue écossais pionnier des fouilles carnacéennes dans les années 1870Zacharie Le Rouzic — préhistorien morbihannais, figure fondatrice de l'archéologie mégalithique de Carnac au XXe siècleAlexandre Bertrand — directeur du musée des Antiquités nationales, promoteur de l'étude des mégalithes bretons au XIXe siècleProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, premier à recenser systématiquement les mégalithes du Morbihan en 1835Louis Pape — archéologue régional ayant contribué à la cartographie des sites mégalithiques de la péninsule de Quiberon et du pays de Carnac au XXe siècle
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande located?
Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande is located in Carnac, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande open to visitors?
Ensemble mégalithique de Quéric-la-Lande is currently closed to visitors.
