Menhir « Men Plat »
MonumentHidden Treasure
Menhir « Men Plat », located in Erdeven (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Erdeven, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6355, -3.1744
- Mérimée Reference
- PA56000121
A granite sentinel erected over 5,000 years ago on the Erdeven moors, the Men Plat menhir embodies the mysterious power of Morbihan megalithy, in one of the largest megalithic corridors in Europe.
History
In the heart of the Auray region, in the commune of Erdeven, the Men Plat menhir - "flat stone" in Breton - stands with striking sobriety on the Morbihan moors. This granite monolith, shaped and erected by Neolithic communities over five millennia ago, is part of an area where the concentration of megaliths is among the most remarkable in the world, alongside the Carnac alignments and the Kerzerho menhir fields, just a few kilometres away. What makes Men Plat so special is precisely its name: where other menhirs tower like tapering obelisks, this one has a flattened, almost tabular profile, giving it an instantly recognisable silhouette in the landscape. This type of wide-section menhir is relatively rare in the Breton megalithic corpus, where spindle-shaped verticality is the norm. Its morphology suggests deliberate selection of the granite block, probably extracted from natural outcrops in the region, and careful roughing before transport and installation. The experience of visiting the site is imbued with the dizzying temporality typical of Breton megaliths. To stand in front of Men Plat is to contemplate a human gesture accomplished during the Middle or Final Neolithic, at a time when the first European agricultural societies organised space, time and the sacred around these standing stones. The surrounding moors, sometimes swept by the Atlantic breeze, capture something of the original atmosphere of these places. Erdeven's natural setting, between hedged farmland and wild coastline, reinforces the open-air sanctuary character of these megalithic sites. The proximity of the sea, less than five kilometres away, is a reminder that these Neolithic populations had an intimate relationship with the Armorican coastline, a source of resources and a route for cultural exchange between the great Atlantic megalithic centres, from Ireland to Portugal.
Architecture
The Men Plat menhir is a monolith of Armorican granite, a magmatic rock characteristic of the Breton bedrock that is particularly resistant to erosion and climatic hazards, which explains the remarkable preservation of these monuments over several thousand years. Unlike traditional menhirs with a lanceolate or cylindrical profile, Men Plat owes its name to its flattened morphology: its cross-section is much wider than it is deep, giving it the appearance of a natural blade or stele. This morphological feature is the distinguishing feature that earns it its Breton name. The stone shows the characteristic traces of Neolithic work: roughing using hard stone hammers to smooth the faces and refine the shape, without achieving the fine polishing reserved for stone tools. The base, buried to a depth estimated at a third of the total height according to the construction practices of the period, ensures the stability of the whole. The outer surface, with its patina of thousands of years, features the grey and orange lichens typical of Breton granite exposed to Atlantic sea spray. In terms of size, Men Plat falls into the category of medium-sized menhirs, typical of the isolated monuments in the Erdeven area, less colossal than the Great Broken Menhir of Locmariaquer, but with an immediate plastic presence. Its setting in the open moorland landscape amplifies the effect of verticality and singularity, following the logic of landscape staging that Neolithic builders mastered with remarkable sophistication.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs néolithiques d'Erdeven (vers 4500-3500 av. J.-C.) — communautés agricoles anonymes à l'origine du menhirProsper Mérimée (1803-1870) — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, promoteur de la première vague de protection du patrimoine mégalithique bretonJames Miln (1819-1881) — archéologue écossais, pionnier des fouilles mégalithiques à Carnac et dans le MorbihanZacharie Le Rouzic (1864-1939) — archéologue carnacéen, inventeur et protecteur infatigable des menhirs du pays d'AurayGregor Rohde — préhistorien ayant contribué à l'inventaire systématique des menhirs isolés du littoral morbihannais au XXe siècle
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Menhir « Men Plat » located?
Menhir « Men Plat » is located in Erdeven, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Menhir « Men Plat » open to visitors?
Menhir « Men Plat » is currently closed to visitors.
