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Origin and history

Kerlud Dolmen is a megalithic monument located in Locmariaquer, Morbihan department, Brittany. Daed of Neolithic, it is part of the tradition of collective burials of this time, characteristic of the region. This dolmen is distinguished by its simple structure, without access corridor, and its quadrangular funeral chamber bounded by four orthostats (arrested stones) connected by dry stone walls. A single covering slab protects the room, while a neat pavement covers the floor. The tumulus, of elongated shape, still partially covers the dolmen northward, showing its remarkable state of conservation despite the millennia that have passed.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 20 April 1927, the Kerlud dolmen benefited from a restoration carried out in 1928 by the archaeologist Zacharie Le Rouzic. The latter, a major figure in the study of Breton megaliths, helped to preserve this fragile heritage. The site is referenced in regional archaeological inventories, notably in the works of Anne-Louise Hamon (1994) and the publications of the Morbihan Polymathic Society. Its precise location, near the so-called Vge de Kerlud, is documented in the Merimée base under the code Insee 56116, confirming its territorial anchoring in the municipality of Locmariaquer.

The dolmen illustrates neolithic funeral practices in Brittany, where communities built collective structures to honour their deceased. These monuments, often associated with rites and a complex social organization, also marked the landscape of symbolic landmarks. In Locmariaquer, a region rich in megalithic remains, the Kerlud dolmen is part of a wider set of alignments and tumulus, reflecting the cultural and spiritual importance of these buildings to the people of the time. Today, there remains a tangible testimony of this period, accessible to visitors despite a location deemed mediocre in terms of cartographic accuracy (note: 5/10).

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