Perched on the highest point of the Gulf of Morbihan (24 meters), the cairn of Gavrinis (Gavriniz in Breton), alone on its island, rests from its long journey through time. Neolithic monument, its age is estimated at around 5,500 years. This pile of stone, the cairn, covers a “dolmen à couloir”, in other words a funerary corridor, made up of 27 stones placed vertically.
Gavriniz
On the walls of the inner path of the tumulus, almost every stone bears engravings, some of which are marvelous and very fascinating. In the famous words of a famous unknown, this monument is “The Sistine Chapel of the Neolithic”. The Neolithic corresponds to this period of humanity which revolutionized our destinies, making us pass from the stage of hunter-gatherer to that of farmer-breeder. Humans settled down and began to build cities and monuments, some of which are dedicated to their prestigious dead. Such is the history of the cairn of Gavrinis, contemporary of the famous alignments of Carnac. After extensive research I found drawings of these engraved stones dating from the mid- 19th century. My job was, for 6 months, to recreate these patterns probably drawn by candlelight. Using graphics software, I overlaid these very low- quality original drawings with hundreds of thousands of dots to achieve the graphic quality of the drawings you see today, and to reveal their beauties in a more obvious way. Six months was a long time, but so little compared to the 5,500 years of these engravings. Have a good trip.
«What distinguishes the monument of Gavrinis from all the dolmens I have seen is that almost all the stones composing its walls are carved and covered with bizarre designs. They are curves, straight lines, broken, traced and combined in a hundred different ways.» – Prosper Mérimée – 1835
GavriniZ, a Breton regional entity, does its utmost to work primarily with Brittany, a challenge that is not always easy. This requirement is also in order to avoid long energy-consuming journeys. The designer of the project (also author of books), Stéphane Guillerme – Le Floch, is unquestionably Breton and has traveled for around 16 years, bag on his back, through around fifty countries before returning to settle in the country of Vannes, his ancestral family territory where he grew up. Breizh da viken!
Gavrinis in videos
Discovered in 1832, the site of Gavrinis keeps many mysteries that many scientists are trying to elucidate with the best technical means of the moment. A decade ago, Serge Cassen and his team digitized the engraved stones of the tumulus in 3D in order to obtain a result that best respected the morphology of the place. Exciting
Short visit to the tumulus of Gavrinis, with a short detour to Locmariaquer, on the site of “La table des Marchand”, another Neolithic high place located at the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan. Visit in the company of Serge Cassen and his team who will make you discover a remarkable fact linking these two unique sites.
Megalithism explained by archaeologist Yannick Lecerf. This short video sheds light on the subject through a few questions and answers. Where did the builders of the Neolithic monuments come from? Did Obelix carve menhirs? What language did these people speak? Here are some of the topics covered.
From the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) to Northern Europe, explore a little of this long journey with its answers and its many questions. We were still at the time of orality, writing appeared a little later, sometimes leaving us a little in a mental fog.
Préhistorex, Ismahein Marzougui’s YouTube channel. Beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, and highly educational videos. A must-see for fans of Gavrinis and the Neolithic period.
30 minutes with Jamy, Sabine and the little voice. The cairn of Gavrinis and the alignments of Carnac are vestiges of the Neolithic period, this period of human history which has revolutionized our lives and our cultures until today. So do not hesitate to follow the team of “C’est pas sorcier” who were happy to shed light on the subject.
This fascinating conference is presented by the archaeologist specializing in recent prehistory, the scholar Jean Guilaine. It traces the spread of “our” Neolithic, from its basin of origin (The Fertile Crescent), around 9,000 BC, to the Iberian Peninsula, around three millennia later.
One last little video for our passionate but non-French-speaking friends. The presenter mainly uses views from Google Earth (and seems to confuse underwater megalithic sites with oyster beds). He also uses other images gleaned from the internet to help you discover some aspects of Gavrinis, the island and the cairn.
In the commune of Bougon (Deux-Sèvres) there is also a necropolis dating from the Neolithic period. A museum was created in that village and the tumulus of Gavrinis was reproduced there. This short video allows you to visit this place which has the quality of not damaging the original monument.
This short but interesting report is for the particular attention of our non-French- speaking friends. You will see some of the famous alignments of Carnac. In Locmariaquer you will discover the great broken menhir as well as “La table des Marchand”. And finally you will take the boat to reach the sites of Gavrinis and Er Lannic.
One hour of time travel. At the heart of the changes experienced by Neolithic men is the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle (generally nomadic but not always) to that of a settled farmer-breeder. Live this evolution through this magnificent report.
Gavrinis in articles
Gavrinis in books
“The prehistory of Morbihan”
by Yannik Rollando
Book written by Yannik Rollando with the collaboration of Yves Coppens and published in 1965 by La société polymathique de Vannes. Book out of print but still quite easy to find second-hand.
“Gavrinis et les mégalithes du golfe du Morbihan”
by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux
This book by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux originally published in 1985 by the Ministry of Culture was subsequently republished and updated 20 years later. This last publication of 2006 is published by Jean-Paul Gisserot.
“Gavrinis, autour du gouffre”
by Serge Cassen & Co
A major work on the Gavrinis cairn. Serge Cassen and numerous collaborators scanned the entire Gavrinis engravings using lasergrammetry and then spent many years analyzing the results. This book is the result: three volumes, 1,280 pages.
“Zacharie Le Rouzic, archéologue et photographe à Carnac”
by Gérard Bailloud & Gwenaëlle Wilhem-Bailloud
Zacharie Le Rouzic, an eminent archaeologist from Carnac, is a novelistic, atypical character. One need only browse this beautiful book to be convinced of this. Luckily, in addition to being an archaeologist, he was also a photographer.
“Gavrinis”
by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux
This book was produced by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux and published in 1985 by the Ministry of Culture. Its full title is “Gavrinis et les îles du Morbihan – Les mégalithes du golfe”.
“Gavrinis”
by Illès Sarkantyu
This book of photographs by the Hungarian artist living in France Illés Sarkantyu was produced in 2017 by the Domaine de Kerguéhennec. It contains a preface by the also Hungarian artist Janos Ber.
“Gavrinis, vaisseau engravé”
by Serge Cassen & Co
For those who have neither the desire nor the means to purchase “Gavrinis, autour du gouffre,” the publisher has released a smaller book that summarizes the essentials. A popular book that will satisfy many readers.
“Contes, légendes et coutumes en pays de Carnac”
by Zacharie Le Rouzic & France Thiéblemont
Zacharie Le Rouzic also collected from the elders a whole series of tales and legends from the Carnac region. Here are some of them. The book is presented by his granddaughter, France Thiéblemont.
“Les dix millénaires oubliés qui ont fait l’histoire”
by Jean-Paul Demoule
Jean-Paul Demoule, a remarkable archaeologist, scholar and a go-between, gives us here his vision of the Neolithic period and the implications that this change in our lifestyle. The rather nomadic hunter-gatherer was going to settle down, and everything was going to change from then on.
“Carnac, Locmariquer and Gavrinis”
by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux and Yvon Boëlle
This little book is published in several languages by Ouest-France editions. The texts are by Charles-Tanguy Le Roux and the photos by Yvon Boëlle.
“The islands of Gavrinis and Er Lannic”
by Yannik Rolland
This little book by Yannik Rollando, former president of the Société Polymathique du Morbihan was published in 1960 by the Société polymathique de Vannes. Sold out for a very long time but it can still be found sometimes.
” Mégalithes du monde ”
by Luc Laporte & other collaborators
This two-volume work is, in its own way, the bible regarding megalithism in the world, even if Luc Laporte says that a few more volumes would be needed to fully cover the subject.
” Caïn, Abel, Ötzi, l’héritage néolithique “
by Jean Guilaine
It’s always a pleasure to spend time with the eminent archaeologist Jean Guilaine. With this book, he transports us to the Neolithic period, that period in human history that revolutionized our lives and societies, for better or for worse.
” Homo Domesticus “
by James C.Scott
Served by a stunning erudition, an agile pen and a keen sense of formula, Homo domesticus offers us a brilliant and unparalleled synthesis of the history of the first States, from the birth of agriculture to the first urban centers.
Getting to Gavrinis
To reach the island of Gavrinis and visit its cairn, you can take a boat from the port of Larmor-Baden. It is the cheaper. The crossing takes about fifteen minutes. A guide then accompanies you from the Gavrinis slipway to the megalithic site for a 1.5-hour guided tour. Other departures are also offered from Port-Navalo, Locmariaquer and Vannes, depending on the season. Fares and times differ between companies and departure points.
You can also download the free BALUDIK / GAVRINIS application to make the course more enjoyable for children and adults.