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Origin and history

The Tumulus du Mané-Lud is a megalithic monument located in Locmariaquer, Morbihan, dating from Neolithic times. It is part of a major archaeological complex in Brittany, acquired by the state in 1882 and classified as a Historic Monument in 1889. This 80 m long, oblong tumulus houses a corridor dolmen decorated with some of Europe's most studied engravings, whose interpretation (cetaceans, birds, tools) has fueled debates since the 19th century.

The first explorations date back to 1863-1864, led by René Wales and Alphonse Mauricet, who discovered a 10-m corridor leading to a funeral chamber covered with five slabs. The engravings, spread over eight orthostats, include representations interpreted as cabalots, birds in flight, or agricultural symbols (haches, yokes). In 1865 L. Davy de Cussé documented these motifs, while in 1911 Zacharie Le Rouzic deepened the excavations, revealing limited but valuable archaeological material.

The site also includes an eastern cairn, bounded by an alignment of stones surmounted by skulls of incinerated horses, sheltering a dry stone funerary chest. Human and animal bones, partially carbonized, suggest complex ritual practices. The toponym Mané-Lud (from the mastered Breton, "butte", and lud, derived from uhelan, "very high") reflects its topographical and symbolic importance in the Atlantic megalithic landscape.

First wrongly attributed to Gauls by Robien's president in the 18th century, the tumulus illustrates the transition between Mesolithic and Neolithic, as evidenced by engravings evoking both hunting (letaceous) and nascent agriculture (haches, yokes). The successive excavations highlighted its role in collective funeral practices and its integration into a wider megalithic network, characteristic of the Breton coast.

Today, owned by the Morbihan department, the Mané-Lud remains a subject of study for archaeologists, notably thanks to the work of Serge Cassen, who proposes innovative interpretations of engravings (such as the cachalot of slab number 1). Its state of conservation, altered by modern buildings and ancient excavations, underlines the importance of its protection since the 19th century.

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