Tumulus
MonumentHidden Treasure
Tumulus, located in Plogonnec (Département 29), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Plogonnec, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0712, -4.1834
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090184
A stone sentinel erected since the Bronze Age, the Plogonnec tumulus is a rare testimony to the funerary rites and symbolic power of the first Armorican civilisations.
History
In the heart of Finistère, in the verdant bocage of Plogonnec, stands one of the oldest surviving remains in Brittany: a Bronze Age tumulus, a burial mound created over three thousand years ago by men who had already mastered the art of marking the landscape for eternity. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1972, this mound bears witness to a remarkably organised prehistoric civilisation, capable of mobilising considerable human resources to honour its dead. What makes this tumulus unique is its perfect integration into a Breton landscape rich in megaliths and remains of Neolithic and protohistoric settlements. In Finistère, the Bronze Age burial mounds provide invaluable milestones in understanding the evolution of burial practices, from the collective dolmens of the Neolithic to the individual burials, often under burial mounds, characteristic of the Early and Middle Bronze Age (around 2200 to 1000 BC). This major cultural shift reflects the emergence of a warrior aristocracy keen to assert its status in death and in life. Visiting the Plogonnec burial mound is first and foremost a contemplative experience. Away from the hustle and bustle of tourism, the site invites visitors to engage in a silent dialogue with a deep-rooted past, in a rural setting typical of inland Finistère. The vegetation that partially covers the mound, the golden lichens on the outcropping stones, and the gentle panorama of the surrounding hills create a picture of great serenity. Far from museum reconstructions, this is a place where visitors can experience time in the raw. The site is just as much for archaeology enthusiasts as for walkers in search of meaning and historical depth. Placed within the network of prehistoric sites in Finistère - the Crozon peninsula, the cairns of Armorique - it takes on its full dimension within an itinerary dedicated to the civilisations of ancient Brittany.
Architecture
The Plogonnec tumulus belongs to the category of Armorican Bronze Age burial mounds, characterised by an elevated structure with a generally circular or slightly elliptical plan. The mound, made up of a pile of earth, gravel and sometimes layers of peat or clay, originally rested on a base delimited by a crown of stones - a sauterne - designed to hold the whole together and visually mark the sacred boundary of the monument. At the heart of the tumulus is probably a cist-type burial chamber, made up of upright, covered slabs of local granite, forming a vault designed to house the remains of the deceased. This type of construction in granite, the dominant stone in the Finistère subsoil, is attested in almost all the Armorican Bronze Age burial mounds explored in the region. These chambers are modest in size - rarely more than a metre and a half in length - and suitable for burial in a contracted or recumbent position. The current shape of the tumulus, rounded and vegetated, reflects centuries of erosion and natural deposits. Its height, probably originally between two and four metres, has been reduced by natural processes and human activity. The diameter of the base can reach around twenty metres, making it a respectable-sized structure in the regional context, indicating the social importance of the person buried.
Related Figures
Pierre-Roland Giot — préhistorien breton de référence, auteur de l'inventaire systématique des tumuli du Finistère au XXe siècleDéfunt aristocratique de l'Âge du bronze — personnage de haut rang dont la sépulture a justifié l'édification du monumentMembres du clan ou de la tribu bâtisseurs — collectivité anonyme ayant mobilisé ses ressources pour ériger le tertre funéraireAgents des Monuments Historiques — responsables de l'inscription du site en janvier 1972
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Tumulus located?
Tumulus is located in Plogonnec, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Tumulus open to visitors?
Tumulus is currently closed to visitors.