Cairn de l'Île Carn
Île Carn Cairn · Cairn of Île Carn · Ploudalmézeau Cairn
Early Neolithic (c.4200–4000 BCE)·Armorican Early Neolithic (Barnenez tradition)·🇫🇷 Brittany, Finistère (Ploudalmézeau — Île Carn), France
About
About Cairn de l'Île Carn
Impressive Neolithic passage-grave cairn on tiny tidal islet Île Carn off Ploudalmézeau coast, Nord-Finistère, accessible only at low tide across 0.5 km causeway. Stepped dry-stone cairn 25 m diameter × 5 m high with three vaulted passage graves radiating from common core: northern, southern and eastern chambers with corbelled roofs, each with 5–7 m passage. Built c.4200–4000 BCE (Early Neolithic stepped cairn tradition contemporary with Barnenez). Excavated 1954–68 by Pierre-Roland Giot, preserved with modern concrete caps and walkway. One of Brittany's best-preserved multi-chambered cairns demonstrating early megalithic engineering and tidal island mortuary isolation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why triple radiating chambers within single cairn vs separate islet cairns
- 02Whether tidal isolation was deliberate — island already tidal in Neolithic
Theories
- 01Île Carn as early elite necropolis marking maritime route along Brittany north coast
- 02Three chambers represent successive kin-group additions over generations
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. 4200–4000 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (c.4200–4000 BCE)
- Culture
- Armorican Early Neolithic (Barnenez tradition)
- Purpose
- Collective passage-grave cairn with three separate chambers for elite lineage burial
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 4200–4000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1407 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
48.5747° N · 4.6292° W · 6 m · 3 mapped features
Northern Passage Grave
chamber7 m passage leading to corbelled chamber north of cairn core
48.5748° N · 4.6292° WSouthern Passage Grave
chamber6 m southern passage grave chamber sharing central cairn mass
48.5746° N · 4.6292° WEastern Passage Grave
chamber5 m eastern chamber with adjacent passage, partly collapsed
48.5747° N · 4.6291° W