Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dolmens of Kerdaniel, also known as Mané-er-Roch and Mané-Grahouillet, form a set of two megalithic monuments located in Locmariaquer, Morbihan. These buildings date from the Neolithic and consist of a north dolmen to gallery, partially restored with visible cement joints, and a south dolmen corridor type. Their discovery and first study date back to 1886, when Felix Gaillard visited the site. He searched only one, judging the other in too poor a state to merit a thorough exploration.

The two dolmens, 35 metres apart, have distinct architectural features. The northern dolmen, classified as Historical Monument on May 9, 1938, preserves the remains of its circular tumulus and rests on eight orthostats supporting a cover table. The south dolmen, classified on September 8, 1938, is bounded by five slabs connected by a dry stone wall and opens to the southeast. Gaillard's excavations revealed artifacts such as flint arrow tips, scrapers, blades and fragments of brown pottery, while Le Rouzic later collected flint fragments and caliciform pottery, now preserved at the Carnac Museum.

The history of restoration remains partially unknown, although traces of cement on the north dolmen attest to an intervention at an unknown date. The dolmens illustrate the funeral and cultural practices of the Neolithic in Brittany, a period marked by the erection of megalithic monuments with probably collective vocation. Their classification as Historic Monuments underlines their heritage importance, while their archaeological furniture offers valuable clues to the tools and rites of the time.

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