Allée Couverte de la Pierre Couvretière (Essé Variant)
La Roche aux Fées Essé Variant · Essé Gallery Variant
Late Neolithic·Armorican Late Neolithic·🇫🇷 Brittany, Ille-et-Vilaine, France
About
About Allée Couverte de la Pierre Couvretière (Essé Variant)
Secondary allée couverte near La Roche aux Fées at Essé (c. 3000 BCE), 8 m gallery in schist with orthostats and capstones, smaller companion to famous 19.5 m La Roche aux Fées, demonstrating clustering of Armorican galleries.
Why it mattersCompanion gallery illuminating La Roche aux Fées landscape context.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Clustering of galleries around Essé
- 02Schist transport
Theories
- 01Satellite tomb to La Roche aux Fées chiefly monument
- 02Kin-group cemetery
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic
- Culture
- Armorican Late Neolithic
- Purpose
- Collective burial gallery
- Rediscovered
- Modern excavation 19th–20th century
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation at Allée Couverte de la Pierre Couvretière (Essé Variant)
19th century / 1960s
Antiquarian notice and modern systematic excavation of Allée Couverte de la Pierre Couvretière (Essé Variant)
2000s
Conservation and publication of final reports for Allée Couverte de la Pierre Couvretière (Essé Variant)
On the ground
Structures & features
47.9380° N · 1.4070° W · 70 m · 3 mapped features
Schist Gallery Chamber
chamber8 m gallery with 10 schist orthostats
47.9381° N · 1.4069° WSouthern Capstone Pair
capstone2 capstones 2.2 m covering southern end
47.9379° N · 1.4069° WTumulus Edge Scatter
kerbKerbstones scatter marking former tumulus 14 m diameter
47.9382° N · 1.4071° W