Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Graniol dolmen, also known as the Grah Niol covered alley, is a megalithic monument located in Arzon, Morbihan. Its Breton name, Grah' Niol or Graniol, means "the Butt of the Sun". It is located at the end of the Rhuys peninsula, on a height overlooking the Gulf of Morbihan. This site, built in Neolithic, illustrates the importance of funeral and symbolic constructions for the communities of the time.

The dolmen was searched in 1895 by the archaeologist Félix Gaillard, who discovered a variety of funerary furniture: flint tools (arrow point, scraper, blade), diorite axes, trimming elements (callai and serpentine collars, gold tubes), as well as fragments of pottery, including caliciform vases. These objects bear witness to the ritual and craft practices of local neolithic populations.

Covered lane, 11.40 m long for a height of about 2 m, opens east. It is bounded by sixteen orthostats and has a lateral cell. Four covering slabs remain, including a 5.50 m long triangular. Several stones carry engravings (crosses, signs in "U", badges, armhole axes), suggesting a re-use of slabs from an earlier monument. Nearby, remains of a possible 50 m diameter megalithic enclosure were identified in 1930 by René Merlet.

In 1930, concrete pillars were added to stabilize the structure. The dolmen was classified as historic monuments by order of 3 December 1973, thus recognizing its exceptional heritage value. Its state of conservation and decorations make it a major site for studying Breton megalithism.

Félix Gaillard and René Merlet's research, published in 1895 and 1972 respectively, documented this monument. The Graniol dolmen remains a valuable testimony to the funeral and artistic practices of Neolithic in Brittany, while raising questions about its evolution and its links to other regional megalithic sites.

External links