Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension
Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BCE)·Atlantic Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Morbihan, France
About
About Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension
Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension in Brittany, Morbihan, France is a Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BCE) tumulus attributed to Atlantic Neolithic. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 3 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 47.5993N -3.0691E controls access to Brittany, Morbihan resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey tumulus for Brittany, Morbihan, illustrating Atlantic Neolithic construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Nature of burial rites and population
- 02Landscape function
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 4000 BCE
- Period
- Middle Neolithic (4500-3500 BCE)
- Culture
- Atlantic Neolithic
- Purpose
- Burial mound with chamber and cairn kerb
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 4000 BCE
Initial construction of Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension main structure
c. 1461 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension
1986–2018
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
47.5993° N · 3.0691° W · 34 m · 4 mapped features
Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — Main Tumulus Feature
chamberPrimary chamber at Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — burial gallery with stratified deposits
47.6007° N · 3.0699° WTumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — Secondary Enclosure
cairnAncillary cairn at Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — platform mound with stratified deposits
47.5998° N · 3.0705° WTumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — Outlier Rock Art Panel
plazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension ceremonial landscape
47.6001° N · 3.0686° WTumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
reservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Tumulus Saint-Michel Annex Cist South — Southern Extension with plastered basin
47.5994° N · 3.0695° W