Did you know that a piece of Brittany rests here in Meudon? This is the Dolmen de Ker-Han. It stands as a silent testament to history’s whims and one man’s passion.
The Dolmen de Ker-Han isn’t native to this land. Originally from Saint-Philibert in Morbihan, Brittany, it made its way here in 1896. Imagine the scene. A dolmen, a relic of the Neolithic era, travels by train. It journeys to become a tomb in the Longs Réages cemetery.
Jean-Baptiste Piketty, a prehistorian archeologist, orchestrated this unusual move. He bought the Dolmen de Ker-Han. It was one of three at Ker-Han. He intended to use it as a family tomb. His actions weren’t without opposition. Zacharie Le Rouzic, another archeologist, protested. Despite the objections, Piketty dismantled the Dolmen de Ker-Han. He transported it to its current location.
Think about the logistics involved. The Flintshire Observer reported the dolmen consisted of 14 granite blocks. Eighteen horses pulled it to the railway station. It then traveled to Meudon in three railway wagons. The Dolmen de Ker-Han was carefully reconstructed.
The Dolmen de Ker-Han you see today is not an exact replica. Zacharie Le Rouzic documented the dismantling. His photos revealed the reconstructed dolmen differed from the original. The original Dolmen de Ker-Han had a corridor. It comprised seven orthostates and two covering slabs. The current structure lacks a corridor. It features nine orthostates and two slabs. One reused slab came from another dolmen on the same site.
Look closely at the slab at the back of the Dolmen de Ker-Han. It bears a plaque. The plaque mentions the dolmen’s origin. Inside, the names of those buried beneath are engraved. This slab wasn’t part of the original Dolmen de Ker-Han. Two slabs feature carvings. One shows a hafted ax. The other shows a large rectangle with rounded corners.
The Dolmen de Ker-Han serves as Jean-Baptiste Piketty’s tomb. Another family member, Michel Piketty, built a pseudo-dolmen as a family vault. It is located in the Coudray-Montceaux cemetery.
The Dolmen de Ker-Han connects us to the Neolithic period. It reminds us of the passions and controversies of the 19th century. This unusual monument invites reflection. Consider the journey of this ancient stone. It is a journey from Brittany to Paris. It stands as a testament to time, history, and human ambition.