Megalithic art

The Barnenez cairn contains architectural features that have been preserved for more than six millennia, such as its famous corbelled vaults, which play a large part in its fame.

Engravings characteristic of the Neolithic period are also present in several tombs. Not all the dolmens on the cairn have engravings. Only several slabs in tombs A, H and J, sometimes in the corridor, sometimes in the burial chamber, are used to support various motifs. The engraved monoliths in dolmen J, and possibly A, are replacements.

In the corridor of tomb A, a pillar is decorated six times with a U-shaped sign , also known as a corniform. This motif is indicative of the difficulties of interpretation, since it could be read as a representation of a bovid antler, a symbol of the terrestrial world, or of a bird in flight, characteristic of a maritime environment.

In room J, you have to look up to see an "escutcheon" or "shield" engraved on a slab used to cover the corridor, a recurring symbol in the Neolithic period and generally the central element around which the other motifs are organised. The shield has long been associated with a representation of the mother goddess, on whom both life and death depend, and it is dolmen H that contains the largest number of motifs. One of the main motifs is theaxeblade,represented here by an isosceles triangle. This is a well-known archaeological object, but one that does not appear in its entirety, essential to the people of the time.

Grave H also contains engravings of linear "zigzag" signs , sometimes associated with the representation of a snake or the undulations of the sea. In addition, a 'bow' motif, rare in Neolithic monuments, placed on a phallic-shaped block, could symbolise protection of the burial space. Lastly, this tomb is the only one on the cairn to have benefited from painted decoration. Their existence at Barnenez is still widely debated.

Megalithic art, although indisputable, remains so complex that interpretation of the motifs is difficult.

Nevertheless, this artistic work allows us to assert that the burial mound must have had a significant influence on the area, although examples are still rare on the north coast of Brittany.

By virtue of its monumentality and prestige, could the Barnenez cairn have centralised all the efforts and available resources of the surrounding populations?