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Origin and history

The cairn of Long Island is a dolmenic cairn located on the island of the same name, in the municipality of Larmor-Baden (Morbihan, Brittany). Dated from Neolithic, this monument consists of three concentric rings of dry stones, measuring about 25 meters in diameter for 5 meters in height. It houses a dolmen accessible by a slightly curved corridor of 10 meters long, decorated with engravings depicting motifs in shield and a figure evoking a congre or eel. The funerary chamber, of irregular shape, is bounded by ten orthostats and a corbelled masonry, crowned with large flat slabs.

The interior of the cairn was first explored in 1852 by the Rallier ship sign, without documented results. From 1902, Zacharie Le Rouzic undertook several visits to the site before leading the restoration in 1907. During this work, he discovered in the corridor flint fragments and fragments of caliciform vases, while the chamber delivered an eclogite axe and pottery studs. Fragments of Roman ceramics, found on site, suggest further reoccupation of the site. The monument was inscribed in historical monuments by order of 24 July 2023.

The engravings of the corridor, including the animal motif and the shields, are a rare testimony of Breton megalithic art. The very structure of the cairn, with its concentric rings and its corbelling covering system, illustrates the architectural know-how of the Neolithic communities. The presence of Roman pottery also indicates a visit to the site long after its initial construction, although its exact use at that time remains unknown.

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