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Origin and history

The Dolmen de Gohquer, also known as Er Mané, is a megalithic building located at the north-west exit of the village of Cosquer, in the commune of Plouharnel, Morbihan. This monument, dated Neolithic, was classified as historical monuments in 1889 under the name of dolmen de Ghoquer. It is distinguished by a particular architecture: its side walls are not parallel but open in "V" to the north, and the north-east wall is double. Originally, the chamber had to have a trapezoidal shape with an entrance to the southwest. The building is covered by two granite roof tables and was restored in 1920 by Zacharie Le Rouzic, after having been studied in 1866 by W. C. Lukis. An indicative mark bearing the name dolmen de Gohquer was placed on its eastern side.

The site has undergone changes over time, including the temporary addition of a cross at its top. The dolmen is part of a set of three megalithic monuments around the village of Cosquer, all excavated by Lukis in 1866. Of these three dolmens, two have now disappeared or are in ruins: Beg en Orth, destroyed in 1904 after being documented by Lukis for its circular opening carved in an orthostate, and a third dolmen, explored by Le Rouzic in 1891, of which only remains remains. The latter had a chamber bounded by a dozen orthostats, preceded by a corridor, and a transverse slab reducing the passage to mid-width.

The name dolmen de Cosquer is confusing because it designates these three distinct monuments indistinctly. The Dolmen de Gohquer, the only remaining standing, bears witness to the funeral and architectural practices of Neolithic in Brittany. Its early classification in 1889 underscores its heritage importance, while the engravings discovered on some blocks of the missing dolmens suggest a symbolic or artistic dimension peculiar to this period. The excavations and restorations carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries have documented these structures, although their present state varies considerably, from ruin to partial restoration.

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