<< Our Photo Pages >> Gavrinis Cairn - Cairn in France in Bretagne:Morbihan (56)
Submitted by AlexHunger on Tuesday, 26 September 2023 Page Views: 51862
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Gavrinis CairnCountry: France Département: Bretagne:Morbihan (56) Type: Cairn
Nearest Town: Vannes Nearest Village: Larmor-Baden
Latitude: 47.571840N Longitude: 2.89833W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
steph victel philgs Clwydygraig would like to visit
markj99 visited on 15th Sep 2023 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 I travelled to the Cairn de Gavrinis via a pre-booked trip from Port-Navalo with Le Passeur des Iles on a 20 person boat. The journey to the island took around 20 minutes. There was an organised lecture on the Cairn de Gavrinis in French for around 30 minutes before we were allowed to enter the passage in small groups. We were allowed free access to the passage and chamber, which are lit by subdued lighting, for 5 minutes. There were no restrictions on photography allowing me to take some good pictures of the carved stones in the passage and the chamber. The boat was waiting at the end of the tour. I would recommend this trip though I could have done without the extended lecture in French.
Antikythera visited on 20th Jun 2023 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Requires a boat trip - book online. Parking on nearby roads. Booked the trip which landed on Gavrinis and afterwards went to see Er Lannic, not allowed to land but good views from the boat. All in French however we could understand some and the guide was helpful and gave us a précis in English after each talk. Superb experience, the engravings are very well preserved but note the tumulus has been reconstructed. Allowed to go inside in small groups and photos are now allowed. Don’t miss this experience if you are in the area.
johnstone visited on 1st Jul 2022 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 3
aolson visited on 16th Jul 2020 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4 Unfortunately the only tour that fit our schedule was in French, which was a struggle, but the guide was passionate, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Kudos to Manon! Not to be missed if you are in the Carnac area.
w650marion visited on 24th Sep 2019 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Stunning carved stones are difficult to see when the guide rushes you through in the dark
rrmoser visited on 31st May 2017 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 5 well what can you say. i had great luck. caught the boat without reservations and got to spend five minutes in the inner chamber alone. It was incredible experience.
43559959 visited on 5th Apr 2013 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 4 Access: 4
TheCaptain saw from a distance on 10th Jun 2005 I took a walk out to the Pointe de Penbert, from where the entrance to the Golfe de Morbihan can clearly be seen, and all the many islands within the gulf. It is a smashing day with a good breeze, and lots and lots of sailing boats are out having fun. There's a cracking tacking duel going on between two large single handed craft as I was writing. It all looks lots and lots of fun.
Just offshore can be seen the islet of Er Lannic, with its double cromlech. Many of the stones stand proud of the island, and indeed the sea, where these half submerged circles are situated, and can clearly be seen from here.
Just beyond that is Gavrinis, with its large cairn and entrance overlooking the whole scene. The entrance seems to be looking directly towards me, although in reality it is probably looking a bit more towards the east. The cairn is clearly visible, looking pale against the dark background of a pinewood. A boat trip of people has just landed on the island for the guided visit to the cairn, with its magnificent carvings.
johnwhitehead visited on 1st Jan 2000 - their rating: Cond: 4
Orcinus visited on 1st Jan 1988 Visited in 1988 as part of an archaeological project
X-Ice visited on 19th Aug 1982 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 5 Access: 1
Catrinm visited - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 A goal was to get to Gavrinis - finally
Catrinm visited - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 A goal was to get to Gavrinis - finally
neolithique02 DrewParsons have visited here
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 4.27 Ambience: 4.8 Access: 3.5
You need to take a boat ride from Larmor Baden Harbour, near Vannes to get there.
The first excavations took place in 1835, when the internal chamber was discovered. Further research was undertaken by the archaeologist Zacharie Le Rouzic who began restoration work around 1930. Further works took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Charles-Tanguy Leroux, former Director of Breton Antiquities, undertook studies and consolidation works in the 1980s. Further excavation is in the planning stages.
The tomb was built relatively late within the French megalithic sequence. Its use ceased around 3,000 BC. At that time, the light wooden structures cladding its entrance were burnt, after which part of the mound collapsed, obscuring and blocking the passage. A layer of windblown sand transformed the monument into a simple hillock.
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. Such simple dolmen-type chambers, reached by passages, were very common in Brittany between 4,500 and 3,000 BC. At the same time, similar monuments were constructed in Normandy and Poitou, in Ireland, Britain and the Iberian Peninsula.
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.
More at Wikipedia and the Journal of Antiquities (see their entry for Gavrinis Tumulus, Gulf of Morbihan, Brittany, France), which also includes a list of reference sources for more information. We have advice on visiting Gavrinis in our forum
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