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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmens of Mané-er-Loh are two megalithic monuments located in Locoal-Mendon, Morbihan, England. Data from Neolithic, they are integrated into a circular tumulus of 40 meters in diameter and 40 meters in height, partially damaged by quarries to the northeast. This site was explored and restored by archaeologists in the 19th and 20th centuries, before being classified as a historical monument in 1921.

The first dolmen, best preserved, is 13 meters long and opens east. It consists of 26 orthostates and a 9-metre-long corridor, covered by three slabs. His room, sub-rectangular, houses an engraved slab that can represent a goddess. The second dolmen, located 2 meters northeast, has a cubited shape and a corridor bounded by orthostats and dry stone walls.

The excavations conducted by Z. Le Rouzic in 1899 and Félix Gaillard in 1887 revealed only fragments of pottery and flint, suggesting funeral or ritual use. The site, restored in 1924, bears witness to the architectural and symbolic practices of Neolithic in Brittany.

The tumulus encompasses the two dolmens, oriented to the southeast, and illustrates the importance of collective burials in neolithic societies. The engravings and structure of the monuments offer clues to the beliefs and social organization of the period, although archaeological discoveries remain limited.

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