Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Grayes cairn, also known as the Grays dolmens, is a group of three dolmens located in Billiers commune, Morbihan department. These megalithic structures date from the Neolithic and are located near the cliff overlooking the north coast of the Vilaine estuary, near the Pen Lan tip. The cairn, measuring between 20 and 30 meters in diameter, is now very degraded and contains three dolmens partially in ruins. There is a room divided by internal partitions, a notable architectural feature.

The site was listed as historic monuments by order of 17 August 1934, thereby recognizing its heritage value. The dolmens are buried to the height of the tables, which are themselves in poor condition. The cairn des Grayes shares structural similarities with the Larcouste site, located in Colpo, also in Morbihan. This type of funeral monument illustrates the cultural and religious practices of neolithic societies, marked by the construction of collective burials.

Depending on the available sources, including Monumentum, the Grayes' cairn could in fact group five dolmens embedded in an elongated tumulus. The precise location of the site is estimated as "passable" (note 5/10), and the monument belongs to the department. The dolmens, although degraded, remain an important testimony of Breton megalithic architecture and its inscription in the coastal landscape.

Archaeological references, such as those cited in Gallia prehistory (1975) by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux, underline the importance of this site in the study of Breton megaliths. The Cairn des Grayes is part of a wider network of megalithic sites in Morbihan, a region particularly rich in prehistoric remains. Its proximity to other dolmens, such as that of the Toad, reinforces its interest in researchers and enthusiasts of ancient history.

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