Description:

The Tumulus of Dissignac, situated about 5 km west of Saint Nazaire in Loire-atlantique department is one of the most important megalithic monuments in France, an archaeological treasure.

 

Thought to have been constructed principally between 4500 and 4000 years BC during the Neolithic period, but with evidence of much earlier settlement, the Tumulus of Dissignac predates the Pyramids of Egypt. The tumulus has a circumference of 120 metres, a diameter of 28 metres and a height, excluding the cairn, of more than 3 metres.

 

The mound is composed of two burial chambers. Two parallel paths, each about 11 meters long, lead to chambers formed by dolmens. Both entrances are oriented south-east and the chambers are illuminated by the rising sun at the winter solstice. The chambers at Dissignac are covered by a cairn made ​​of huge stones and earth, surrounded by four concentric dry stone walls, built in tiers. The material used to build the mounds are not from the same site, but have been sourced at least 4 kilometres away from the tumulus at the coast where the same kind of granite can be found.

 

Discovered by archaeologists in 1873, the Tumulus of Dissignac has been the subject of several excavations which have identified two stages in the construction of the tumulus. Around 4500 BC, two dolmens were built side by side. Then in a second phase, the monument was expanded with the extension of the corridors around 2990 BC. These excavations have also revealed many pottery items and symbols carved on the ceiling of the chambers. In one chamber, a slab is decorated with carved symbols thought to represent tools and axes. Similar symbols are visible in some chambered cairns in Morbihan in Brittany. The pottery found at Dissignac suggests that the site was occupied continuously between 4500 and 2500 BC.

 

The property of the French State, the Tumulus at Dissignac is classified as an historical monument and is managed by the Eco-museum of Saint-Nazaire.

 

The Tumulus at Dissignac can be viewed by the public externally all year but from mid-July until the end of August there are guided archaeological tours including the chambers. Check with Saint Nazaire Tourist Office for details telephone 0 810 888 444.