Nécropole mégalithique
MonumentHidden Treasure
Nécropole mégalithique, located in Plouhinec (Département 29), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Plouhinec, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9871, -4.4746
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090253
In the heart of Finistère, the megalithic necropolis of Plouhinec reveals tumuli and dolmens built over 5,000 years ago, silent witnesses to the burial rites of the first farmers of Armorique.
History
Nestling in the hedged and coastal landscape of southern Finistère, the Plouhinec megalithic necropolis is one of the most remarkable prehistoric burial sites on the Breton coast. Just a few kilometres from Lorient harbour and the famous Carnac alignments, this site, classified as a Historic Monument since 1979, offers a fascinating insight into the spiritual and architectural universe of the Neolithic populations who populated Finistère between 4500 and 2500 BC. What sets Plouhinec apart from the countless other megalithic sites in Brittany is the concentration and diversity of its funerary structures. Chambered tumuli, stone chests, fragmentary covered walkways: the site brings together several types of architecture that bear witness to a long history of use and changes in mortuary practices over the centuries. The massive blocks of local granite, patiently erected, reveal an astounding technical mastery for communities with no metal. A visit to the necropolis is above all a sensory and melancholy experience. Walking along the grassy mounds and approaching the orthostats that are still standing, you can appreciate the extraordinary persistence of these monuments over the millennia. The low-angled morning or evening light accentuates the volumes of the standing stones and lends the site an almost mystical atmosphere, which is only intensified by the light rainfall in Brittany. The natural setting amplifies the sacred character of the site: between gorse moorland and the damp bocage typical of Finistère, the necropolis is set in an environment where the vegetation is gradually reclaiming its rights. Orange and grey lichens colonise the menhirs, drawing abstract maps on the granite. Nearby, the jagged coastline of the Plouhinec peninsula is a reminder that these Neolithic societies had an intimate relationship with the sea, a source of resources and perhaps of cosmogony. Listed as a Historic Monument, the necropolis is protected to guarantee its integrity for future generations. Its relative discretion - far from the tourist flows of Carnac or Locmariaquer - makes it an authentic place for contemplation, appreciated by prehistory enthusiasts and walkers looking for a Brittany off the beaten track.
Architecture
The architecture of the Plouhinec necropolis is representative of the great megalithic traditions of the Armorican Neolithic. The site contains a number of different types of funerary structure: chambered burial mounds, with mounds of earth and gravel covering one or more granite chambers; simple dolmens, consisting of vertical orthostats supporting a horizontal cover slab; and probably the remains of covered walkways, the long, compartmentalised galleries characteristic of the Final Neolithic of Brittany. The only materials used came from the local geological substratum: Armorican granite, a hard and durable rock that explains the survival of these structures over more than five millennia. The blocks, some of which can weigh several dozen tonnes, were extracted, transported and erected without metal tools, using wooden levers, earthen ramps and a remarkable collective organisation. The surfaces of some of the orthostats show traces of bush-hammering, a roughing technique using a stone hammer to refine the facing. The logic behind the siting of the structures was both topographical and symbolic: the burial mounds generally occupy slightly elevated areas, visible from the surrounding farmland, thus signalling the territory of the ancestors to the whole community. The orientation of the burial chambers, often facing east or south-east, suggests a link with sunrise and seasonal cycles, confirming the funerary and cosmological nature of these monuments.
Related Figures
James Miln — archéologue écossais pionnier des fouilles mégalithiques bretonnes au XIXe siècle, dont les travaux inspirèrent l'inventaire des sites du Finistère méridionalZacharie Le Rouzic — archéologue carnacéen (1864-1939), continuateur de Miln et recenseur des monuments mégalithiques du Morbihan et du Finistère sudPaul du Chatellier — archéologue finistérien (1833-1911), auteur d'un inventaire systématique des mégalithes du Finistère incluant les sites de la presqu'île de PlouhinecProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques au XIXe siècle, qui contribua à la prise de conscience nationale sur la valeur des mégalithes bretonsLes bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes — communautés agro-pastorales du Finistère, entre 4500 et 2500 av. J.-C., véritables architectes collectifs de la nécropole
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Nécropole mégalithique located?
Nécropole mégalithique is located in Plouhinec, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Nécropole mégalithique open to visitors?
Nécropole mégalithique is currently closed to visitors.
