Tumulus dit La Tour Basse
MonumentHidden Treasure
Tumulus dit La Tour Basse, located in Plorec-sur-Arguenon (Département 22), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Plorec-sur-Arguenon, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4846, -2.3080
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089449
An enigmatic megalithic vestige on the shores of the Arguenon, this Neolithic burial mound, listed as a Historic Monument since 1934, stands with its ancestral profile in a setting of Breton bocage, the silent guardian of thousands of years of history.
History
Nestling in the soft soil of Plorec-sur-Arguenon, on the edge of the Côtes-d'Armor department, the burial mound known as "La Tour Basse" belongs to the constellation of megalithic monuments that make Brittany one of the richest areas in the world for prehistoric archaeology. Its earthy mass, raised by human hands several millennia ago, imposes a presence that is both discreet and profoundly solemn in the rural landscape of Penthièvre. What distinguishes La Tour Basse from many anonymous burial mounds is, first and foremost, the uniqueness of its popular name - the evocative nickname of "tower" says something about the respect mixed with astonishment that successive generations of Breton farmers have felt towards this artificial mound, whose origin seemed to defy any rational explanation. The relative monumentality of the mound, which could be seen from afar in the sparsely wooded bocage, gave it the appearance of a primitive fortress. Visiting the Tour Basse is a rare experience: that of time, of archaeological silence. The monument lends itself to a meditative stroll, ideal for prehistory enthusiasts and walkers in search of authenticity. The site is part of a network of megalithic monuments all along the Arguenon valley and the shores of the Baie de la Fresnaye, inviting visitors to spend a day exploring the wider heritage. The natural setting reinforces the emotion of the place: the gentle hills of the Penthièvre, the hedgerows and the relative proximity of the Arguenon estuary create an environment where nature and prehistory interact seamlessly. The low-angled light of the morning or evening, revealing the relief of the hillock, offers photographers a particularly striking spectacle.
Architecture
The tumulus known as "La Tour Basse" has the characteristic morphology of the Neolithic corridor tumuli of the Armorican Massif: an oval or sub-circular mound, made up of a pile of clayey earth and locally quarried schist or granite blocks, whose original height could have exceeded several metres before natural subsidence and successive human intervention. Comparable tumuli in the Arguenon region are generally 20 to 40 metres in diameter at the base, with a residual height of 2 to 5 metres. Beneath the earthen mantle, there is most likely an internal dry-stone architecture: a rectangular or polygonal burial chamber, delimited by large orthostats - slabs standing vertically - and topped with horizontal cover slabs forming a corbelled or lintelled ceiling. An access corridor, which, according to Neolithic burial practices, was oriented towards the east, originally allowed access to the chamber from outside the mound. The materials used reflect the local geology of the Penthièvre region: slate shale, sandstone and granite blocks, all available in the immediate vicinity from outcrops in the Arguenon valley. The lack of fine-cutting of the stones - used rough or roughly squared - is typical of this phase of the Middle and Final Armorican Neolithic, and gives the ensemble a remarkable constructive power despite, or rather thanks to, its apparent rusticity.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs néolithiques du Penthièvre (Ve-IIIe millénaire av. J.-C.) — communautés agricoles anonymes dont ce tumulus constitue le testament monumentalProsper Mérimée (1803-1870) — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, initiateur du recensement systématique des mégalithes bretons au XIXe siècleLes érudits de la Société d'Émulation des Côtes-du-Nord (XIXe siècle) — premiers descripteurs et défenseurs des antiquités préhistoriques de la régionLes conservateurs du patrimoine des années 1930 — artisans du classement MH du 28 août 1934 qui a assuré la pérennité du site
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tumulus dit La Tour Basse located?
Tumulus dit La Tour Basse is located in Plorec-sur-Arguenon, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Tumulus dit La Tour Basse open to visitors?
Tumulus dit La Tour Basse is currently closed to visitors.