Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dolmens of Kéric-la-Lande, located in Carnac, Morbihan, are two megalithic dolmen-style corridor monuments dating from the Neolithic period. They are about 80 meters north of Quéric-la-Lande: the north dolmen (Er Mané), surrounded by a cairn with almost triangular double enclosure, and the south dolmen (Er-Roch-Vras), delimited by nine slabs. These funeral structures, oriented to the east for the north dolmen, housed archaeological remains such as bones, flint tools, pottery, and an axe engraving.

The dolmens were the subject of successive surveys and searches: a topographical survey by Lukis in 1866, excavations by Abbé Lavenot in 1869 (which discovered lithic furniture and a pendant), and by Zacharie Le Rouzic in 1916. Exhumed objects, including diorite axes and fibrolith fragments, are now preserved at the Museum of Prehistory in Carnac. The two dolmens are classified as Historic Monuments, respectively in 1929 (southdolmen) and 1931 (northdolmen), highlighting their heritage importance.

The north dolmen, triangular in shape, has a chamber bounded by ten orthostates supporting a 2.30 m long cover table. The south dolmen, more elongated (5.60 m), has an entrance of 1.20 m extending to 2.20 m at the bottom of the chamber, whose floor was covered with pebbles. These architectural features illustrate neolithic funeral practices, where dolmens served as collective burials for local communities.

Their precise location, near the Quelvezin road, and their conservation status led to a mixed assessment of their location (accuracy noted 5/10). Despite this, their classification and study contribute to the understanding of neolithic societies in Brittany, marked by the emergence of agriculture, sedentarization and complex social structures, whose monuments are tangible testimonies.

External links