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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The dolmen of Guiliguy, located at Ploudalmezeau in Finistère, is a megalithic burial dating from the Neolithic period (between 3585 and 3161 BC). Ranked a historic monument in 1921, it was first mentioned in 1907 by Paul du Châtellier. This funeral site, excavated in 1992 by Michel Le Goffic, reveals a complex architecture: a side entrance, a corridor at right angles, and a room delimited by twelve orthostates, partially covered with slabs.

The structure, built on a granite outcrop, is 10.40 m long, with a bedroom of 6.80 m and a cell of 1.80 m. A chatter-shaped slab marks the transition between the hallway and the bedroom. Nearby, engraved cupulas (some of which are arranged in quinconce) attest to a symbolic occupation of the site. The excavations revealed lithic furniture (gratters, blades, polished axes) and ceramic teasses, as well as traces of re-use at the bronze age.

The monument, originally surrounded by a peristalith confused with a cromlech, illustrates neolithic funeral practices in Brittany. Five arc blocks remain today. The charcoals found in the slab-set pits allowed accurate dating between 3585 and 3161 BC. Two bronze-age burials, built near the entrance, testify to a subsequent repossession of the site.

The slabs, made of local granite, have a peculiarity: their naturally eroded side was placed towards the outside of the tomb. The artifacts discovered include a blue-green rock pendant and flint or dolerite tools. These elements, combined with the east-west orientation of the monument, suggest a link with beliefs or rituals related to the solar cycle or ancestors.

The Guiliguy dolmen is representative of the Breton dolmenic galleries, characterized by their elongated structure and collective funeral use. Its ranking in 1921 underscores its heritage importance. The excavations of 1992, documented in an archaeological report, clarified its history and evolution from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

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