Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dolmen du Mané-Rutual, also known as dolmen du Bronso, is a megalithic building located in Locmariaquer, Morbihan. Mentioned in 1752 as "Gaulois tomb" by Robien's president, it was explored and restored several times, notably in 1860 by the Morbihan Polymathic Society, and then in 1885 after its acquisition by the state. Ranked a historic monument in 1889, it was the subject of a major restoration in 1936 by Zacharie Le Rouzic, who consolidated its structure with concrete pillars and straightened the cairn.

The dolmen, of dolmen type with corridor, is 16.45 m long and consists of a corridor, an antechamber and an ovoid chamber. Several of her slabs, some of them in orthognesis, carry engravings (crosses, "shape-shape", "mother goddess"). These engravings, known since the 19th century, were studied in detail in 2003-2004 by a team led by Serge Cassen, revealing symbolic motifs and a possible reuse of a stele as a cover table.

The archaeological excavations have delivered a variety of furniture, ranging from Neolithic tools in flint, axes, pottery, to Gallo-Roman times (ceramics, coins, fragments of statuettes). The site, damaged prior to protection (missing or broken pads, use as a dump site), was partially reconstituted. A nearby structure, explored in 1890, could be a vestige of a destroyed burial, attesting to the funeral and ritual importance of the site in the Neolithic era.

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