Tumulus St. Michel
The Tumulus St. Michel (not to be confused with the Mont-Saint-Michel ) is located east of the town of Carnac in the Morbihan department in Brittany in France . It is the largest burial mound in continental Europe. Since Silbury Hill is probably not a burial mound, the St Michel tumulus is probably the largest burial mound in Europe.
The tumulus is about 125.0 m long, 60.0 m wide and 10.0 m high and runs in an east-west direction. The upper platform is 75 m long. The mound has an elongated oval stone core (called Galgal), over which lies a thick layer of clay, while the mound surface is made up of stones. On top of the tumulus is the name-giving chapel from the 17th century, which can be seen from afar and in which a mass only takes place on September 1st each year.
A central megalithic chamber, closed on all sides, was uncovered in the middle of the tumulus . Burned human bones lay on the flat stone floor. 39 stone axes (many made of jadeite and fibrolite ) stuck in the earth with the edge up. Ten pendants and a chain with 97 Callaïs pearls and the remains of a pearl necklace made of a kind of ivory were also recovered. 13 small stone boxes are arranged around it. They contained remains of burned and unburned animal bones. South of the main chamber is a somewhat smaller chamber with a pre-built passage (or an antechamber). All facilities are surrounded by a circular wall that merges into a false vault.
In order to investigate the hill, a tunnel was driven lengthways through the hill in addition to the transverse tunnel. A chamber with access to the north was discovered at the eastern end (outside the Galgal). Its four cover plates were supported by eight bearing stones. The floor was paved with pebbles. Two clay vessels , a small bronze bell (possibly from the Hallstatt period), tees and charcoal were found. It is a later reburial .
See also
literature
- Pierre-Roland Giot: Prehistory in Brittany. Menhirs and dolmens. Editions d'Art Jos le Doaré, Chateaulin 1991, ISBN 2-85543-076-3 .