The Saint-Michel tumulus (Breton: tumulus Sant-Mikael) is a megalithic grave mound, located east of Carnac in Brittany, France. It is the largest grave mound in continental Europe.
Localisation
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History
The tumulus was built during the fifth millennium BC. It consists of a mound of earth and stones 125 metres (410 ft) long, 50 metres (160 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) high. Explored in 1862, researchers found a central vault containing fairly prestigious funerary furniture: axes, pearls, flint tools, and sillimanite. On 27 June 1795, the site served as the setting for the Battle of Saint-Michel Tumulus between the French and the British during the Great French War. It has been classified as a "Monument historique" (National heritage site) since 1889. Around 1900, the archaeologist Zacharie Le Rouzic again excavated the Saint-Michel tumulus and discovered a second dolmen and fifteen small stone chests, thus revealing the complexity of this monument.