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Covered driveway from Moëlan-sur-Mer dans le Finistère

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine Celtique
Allées couvertes
Finistère

Covered driveway from Moëlan-sur-Mer

    Le Bourg
    29350 Moëlan-sur-Mer
Allée couverte de Moëlan-sur-Mer
Allée couverte de Moëlan-sur-Mer
Crédit photo : Carabas1 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Néolithique
Âge du Bronze
Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
4100 av. J.-C.
4000 av. J.-C.
0
1800
1900
2000
Néolithique
Construction period
1882
Archaeological excavations
4 octobre 1982
Historical monument classification
Fin XIXe siècle
First description
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Covered roadway (Case DL 110): entry by order of 4 October 1982

Key figures

René-François Le Men - Archaeologist Author of the first description.
Paul du Châtellier - Searcher and archaeologist Directed excavations of 1882.

Origin and history

The covered driveway of Kermeur Bihan, located in Moëlan-sur-Mer (Finistry), is a megalithic monument dated to the Neolithic. Oriented southeast/northwest, it is 16.20 metres long and has a "V" shape, with an internal width ranging from 0.90 m to 1.45 m. Composed of eleven pillars on each side and closed at the ends, it is covered with local pink granite slabs. Quartz blocks visible around could come from the original or posterior additions.

The height under slab, low (0.80 m maximum), and the presence of rich archaeological furniture, discovered in 1882 by Paul du Châtellier, attest to his funeral use. This furniture includes six polished axes (including four dolerite), arrow tips, pendants, and pottery attributed to campaniform culture, revealing complex ritual and craft practices.

It was first described at the end of the 19th century by R.-F. Le Men, then searched in 1882 by Paul du Châtellier. This work allowed to document its structure and content before its classification as a historical monument in 1982. Subsequent studies, such as those of Jean L-Helgouach (1965), have confirmed its importance in the megalithic landscape of the Armomeric.

The site illustrates neolithic construction techniques, with carefully arranged slabs to form a collective sepulchral space. Its inscription in 1982 underscores its heritage value, while 19th century excavations remain a reference for understanding funeral practices of the era. The objects discovered, now scattered, bear witness to the cultural and technological exchanges of the period.

The precise location, near the so-called Le Belon, and its partial state of conservation (sloping pillars, eroded terre) make it a representative example of the Breton covered aisles. Its pink granite, typical of the Moëllan region, and the presence of quartz reinforce its geological and historical anchoring in the Southern Finistère.

External links