The open tombs of the 'Pointe du Souc’h'

Just a few metres from the depths of the Menez Dregan caves yet some 300 000 years later in human history, the first farmers of the Cap Sizun region established some incredible monuments to stamp their place in history and to pay homage to their elders. These are the open tombs or ‘Dolmen’ of the Pointe du Souc’h, simple yet impressive monuments with upright stones (or megaliths) supporting a horizontal flat stone in the form of a basic roof.

From the Pointe du Souc’h you can see as far south as Penmarch and westwards to the tiny island known as the ‘Île de Sein’. It was on the Pointe du Souc’h site that experts first discovered remains of a certain type of rounded vase, which consequently became known as the ‘Vase du Souc’h’. In addition to these, archaeologists found pottery that was soapy to the touch, which is rather wonderfully referred to as ‘poterie onctueuse’ (creamy-smooth pottery). This smooth pottery dates back to the Middle Ages and was created in the Finistère town of Plonéour-Lanvern.

 In 1979, the Pointe de Souc’h earned its classification as an Historic Monument, and comprising at least seven separate ‘dolmens’ of  
 which four were unearthed between 2000 and 2004 by the Regional Archaeological Service. Further excavations are planned to bring to  
 light the other hidden stones and their surroundings.