Gavrinis Passage Grave

Larmor-Baden, France

The Gavrinis island is famous because of its important passage grave, a megalithic monument from the Neolithic period, belonging to the same broad context as the Breton megaliths of Carnac and Locmariaquer. At the time of its construction, c. 3500 BC, the island was still connected with the mainland. The rich internal decorations make Gavrinis one of the major treasuries of European megalithic art. The tomb is also remarkable for the care taken in its construction and its good preservation.

The stone mound has a diameter of about 50m. The mass of stones forming the cairn is internally structured by a series of walls, subdividing it into separate 'ranks'. It is a characteristic example of Neolithic dry stone architecture. The mound covers a single rectangular (nearly square) slab-built burial chamber, located at the centre of the mound and measuring about 2.5m across. The chamber is built of about 50 carefully placed slabs. The biggest of these is the ceiling slab which weighs nearly 17 tons.

The chamber is reached from outside by a 14m long corridor or passage. Of the 29 orthostat slabs that form the sides of the passage, 23 are decorated with carved symbols and patterns. Some of the symbols appear to represent non-abstract objects, like axes and croziers or staffs. A common horn-like motif may symbolise cattle, a shape conventionally called the shield may be a very stylised human figure. More abstract motifs include zigzag lines, lozenges and snake-like lines.

A replica of part of the Gavrinis passage with its decorated slabs can be visited in the Museum at the megalithic necropolis of Bougon.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 3500 BC
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in France
Historical period: Prehistoric Age (France)

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

accademia (11 months ago)
Exceptional "tumulus" for its rich symbolism carved inside. The tour includes the boat trip in small groups and a very professional and enthusiastic guide. Better organize the trip a little in advance due to the selected number of places in the boat. Thanx to the guide for the nice experience throughout the Neolithic!
Camille Autrusseau (11 months ago)
A magnificent site to visit. I recommend the museum of prehistory before to be well versed in history before. The guide was great and frankly it was a very qualitative tour. Bravo for preserving the site, it’s great. To visit
Tom Tisseur (12 months ago)
Really a very pleasant experience, really great guide who explains really well and gives a lot of valuable details. The duration is really correct, the boat crossing with explanations is also appreciable. A great discovery that I recommend if you are in the area.
jameswburke (2 years ago)
Stunning rock art at this passage tomb. It aligns with Newgrange in Ireland and the sun appears simultaneously at both sites on the summer solstice. Guided tour with boat trip is good too.
Thomas Loury (3 years ago)
Competent and clear guide, perfect context: a visit to do absolutely.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.